ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at some general principles relating to each procedure and investigation before outlining general and more specific ophthalmic procedures and investigations. Some of the clinical skills have a competency assessment tool provided, to assist nurse with the assessment of the skill. There is also a generic assessment tool for nurse to use with the other ophthalmic procedures. Ophthalmic procedures and investigations vary to some degree between clinical settings. Those listed such as patient consent, good communication, patient education, adherence to infection control, health and safety, a holistic approach, maintenance of the patient's privacy and dignity can be used as guidelines but local policies must be followed. Visual acuity is the measurement of acuteness of central vision only. An accurate assessment of visual acuity is one of the most important parts of any ophthalmic examination. Visual acuity is a test of the visual system from the occipital cortex to the cornea.
