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Thread: Sanitizing tools

  1. #1
    Bad address email on file optigoddess's Avatar
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    Sanitizing tools

    I'm curious as to how/ how often everybody sanitizes the hand tools and pupilometers in the dispensary.

    In one office I worked in, we were pretty diligent to clean the pupilometer every time with alcohol wipes .... hand tools every couple of days.

    In this office, pupilometers get wiped down ONLY if there is patient with pink eye.


    So, I'm curious -- :idea:

    Thanks for sharing ....


    Karen

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder
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    Pupilometer after every use. We use blood borne pathogen procedeures on any thing that comes in contact with blood. Including gloves to protect the patient and ourselves. Tools are washed with a clorox solution or the hospital cleaner we have available that come in direct contact immediately. Others are washed weekly. Dispensing desks are wiped twice daily. We have a lot of elderly people who fall and are roughed up. Standard operating procedure it just becomes part of the routine.

  3. #3
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    Why do you or others rough up elderly customers?

    Down heah in the South we are taught to respect and protect the elderly an women.

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    opti-tipster harry a saake's Avatar
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    Lightbulb sanatizing

    Optigoddess, one thing you can do is keep your screwdrivers, blade portions, in hydrogen peroxide. Of course you have to dump it and add fresh each day.

  5. #5
    Optimentor Diane's Avatar
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    Re: sanatizing

    harry a saake said:
    Optigoddess, one thing you can do is keep your screwdrivers, blade portions, in hydrogen peroxide. Of course you have to dump it and add fresh each day.
    Harry,

    I'm curious...wouldn't that cause them to rust or something? At least part of them...

    I am certainly concerned about infectious disease and blood borne pathogens. This could be added to my AIDS course.

    Diane
    Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

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    opti-tipster harry a saake's Avatar
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    Lightbulb peroxide

    Hello Diane, hope all is well with you and hope to see you in atlanta next month and in vegas the month after.
    ......To answer your question, no i have never seen them rust, but of course how long does the average blade last before you replace it. I even dip my pliers in the peroxide. What you mentioned in your post was the exact reasoning behind using the peroxide, after all if there is one tool your going to get hurt with it will be the screwdriver.
    ..... I suppose there is the potential for an optician to have a cut, then slip with the blade right after working on a pair of nose pads all nice and fresh with nose cheese and assorted other pathogens, and then unknowingly transfer that into the bloodstream. whether or not the aids virus can live on nose cheese i,m not sure, but i do know you will see it in lacrimal fluid

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    Several of my pathologist patients have told me that only full strength clorox (or fire) will kill all known pathogens. One is too hot for the office and the other too smelly. Preroxide supposedly is too weak especially in the medicinal strength. Now the stuff in the hair bleaching strength is something else again.

    Chip

  8. #8
    Optimentor Diane's Avatar
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    Re: peroxide

    harry a saake said:
    Hello Diane, hope all is well with you and hope to see you in atlanta next month and in vegas the month after.
    ......To answer your question, no i have never seen them rust, but of course how long does the average blade last before you replace it. I even dip my pliers in the peroxide. What you mentioned in your post was the exact reasoning behind using the peroxide, after all if there is one tool your going to get hurt with it will be the screwdriver.
    ..... I suppose there is the potential for an optician to have a cut, then slip with the blade right after working on a pair of nose pads all nice and fresh with nose cheese and assorted other pathogens, and then unknowingly transfer that into the bloodstream. whether or not the aids virus can live on nose cheese i,m not sure, but i do know you will see it in lacrimal fluid
    Harry,

    I'll be looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta, and in Vegas as well.

    Thanks for the information. You're right, how long do they last anyway. One thing that could be of greater concern for us in our field is contracting other infectious diseases. There is a documented case in Kentucky of an optician contracting Hepatitis through a screwdriver stick. The previous person handling the screwdriver had it and stuck themselves, and had failed to clean the blade. Hepatitis will last significantly longer on on even hard surfaces than the HIV virus, so is really a higher threat to us.

    Even with the strong odors, I tend to use a lot of bleach as well as peroxide, and alcohol. I love your suggestion about just keeping hand tools in the peroxide.

    According to the standard universal precautions for AOA here are the suggestions: These include the use of alcohol and peroxide.

    Washing

    Hand washing with soap and water should be done after procedures involving contact with tears and in between patients.

    Barrier
    Latex
    Disposable latex gloves may be worn, especially when cuts or open wounds are present on the hands. Small, non-visualized, open wounds may become apparent if isopropyl alcohol causes a burning sensation when wiped across the hand. Other protective measures such as masks, goggles, and gowns, are not indicated.

    Vinyl- Not Good
    Double gloving could be done, but tactile sensitivity would be diminished

    Disinfection

    Trial Contact Lenses

    Contact lenses and carrying cases used in trial and follow-up fittings should be disinfected between each fitting by one of the following regimens:
    Discarding the trial contact lenses:
    With the advent of disposable two-week and one-day disposable contact lenses, the best mode of precaution is to throw away the trial lenses. This procedure, however is inapplicable to rigid gas permeable and nondisposable hydrogel trial contact lenses.

    Hydrogen peroxide contact lens disinfecting solutions:
    3.0% hydrogen peroxide contact lens disinfecting systems currently approved for soft contact lenses can be used to disinfect trial PMMA, rigid gas permeable and hydrogel contact lenses (though this procedure has not received FDA approval). Non-contact lens approved hydrogen peroxide preparations have not been tested experimentally and may contain preservatives that could discolor the lenses.

    Heat Disinfection:
    Heat disinfection regiments used for hydrogel lenses at 78 – 80o C for 10 minutes are effective for contact lens disinfection for some hydrogels (low water content lenses) and most PMMA lenses. RGP’s may warp with heat disinfection. Practitioners should check with contact lens manufacturers to determine which lenses can be safely heat-treated.


    Until other disinfectants are shown to be suitable for inactivating HIV, contact lenses used in multiple patients are most safely handled by discarding the trial lenses or by hydrogen peroxide or heat disinfection

    Cleaning and disinfecting of equipment: Instruments that come into direct contact with external surfaces of the eye and other equipment such as phoropters, head rests, and occluders that can be contaminated by body secretions should be wiped clean or rinsed to remove particulate matter and then disinfected by a 5 – to 10 – minute exposure to:
    A fresh solution of 3.0% hydrogen peroxide; or
    A fresh solution containing 5000 parts per million (mg/L) free available chlorine; or
    A 1/10 dilution of common household bleach (sodium hypochlorite); or
    70.0% ethanol; or
    70.0% isopropanol

    The devices should then be dried before reuse. Countertop surfaces can be disinfected with solutions such as Amphyl. A study by Pepose JS et al. indicated that wiping the Goldman tonometer tip with an isopropyl alcohol swab and then allowing it to air dry is sufficient for inactivating the HIV virus.


    Diane
    Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

  9. #9
    Bad address email on file optigoddess's Avatar
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    Diane -

    WOW! Thanks for the very informative tips!

    Harry - That is food for thought (keeping hand tools in peroxide).

    Chip - In our office, we prefer to just "rough up" the whiney crybaby baby boomers, who, up until they "just woke up" can't SEE anymore & they are "going blind" :hammer: ;)


    Karen

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