Medication Administration - Eye Ointment Policy 

Purpose: 
To ensure safe and effective administration of eye ointments to residents, maintaining compliance with CMS guidelines and promoting resident comfort and eye health. 

Procedure: 

I. Preparation: 

• Wash hands thoroughly and wear gloves. 

II. Positioning: 

• Position the resident with their head tilted back. 

III. Administration: 

• Use a tissue to gently pull down the lower eyelid with your index or middle finger. Instruct the resident to look upward. 

• Apply a thin line of ointment along the conjunctival surface of the retracted lower lid with the tip of the ointment tube. Do not touch the eye with the medication container. Move from the inner to the outer corner of the eye. 

• Instruct the resident to close their eye and rotate their eyeballs. Eyelids should not be squeezed closed. 

• Wipe any tears that follow the application. Use a separate tissue for each eye. 

• Replace the tube cap using aseptic technique to prevent contamination of the tube tip. 

IV. Post-Administration: 

• Wash hands and remove gloves. 

V. Special Considerations: 

• When two or more different eye ointments must be administered at the same pass time, allow a 5-minute period between them. This ensures each drug has sufficient time to spread over the eye surface and be absorbed, preventing washout or dilution. 

• If the resident has orders for both ophthalmic ointments and solutions, administer the solutions first, waiting 3 minutes before ointment administration. 

References: 

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Requirements of Participation for Long-Term Care Facilities. 

• State Operations Manual (SOM), CMS.