Swabbing the eye may be needed for collecting swabs for cultures or cleansing purpose.

Equipment required

• Sterile dressing pack

• Sterile swab

Procedure

• Explain the procedure to the parent and the child

• Calm the child. Make sure you have good light in the room

• Get the child to sit on the parent’s lap or beside the parent comfortably

• Wash your hands with soap and water and dry your hands

• Get the child in right posture-

• Head should be tilted backwards and well supported

• The parent can assist by holding the child on the lap or in older children get them to lie on the bed

• Always treat the uninfected eye first and then go to the infected eye

• Ask the child to close their eyes and wipe clean with a sterile cloth dipped in sterile normal saline water. Try to remove the crusted edges

• Now ask the child to look upwards and use a slightly moistened swab to swab the lower lid from inner canthus outwards. Try to maintain the swab within the lid margin to avoid contamination and touching the cornea

• Use new swabs each time and try to clear the discharge.

• Now ask the child to look downwards and swab the upper eyelid by everting the lid margin and swab from inside nasal corner outwards

Once the procedure is done, dispose the equipment correctly and record the procedure in the documents