16 June 2020

Non-contact tonometry safe to use

The College of Optometrists and Royal College of Ophthalmologists have confirmed that NCT is no longer classified as an aerosol generating procedure (AGP).

The Colleges have said that expert consensus, based on more recent evidence, is that there is a low likelihood of viral particles in the tears and conjunctiva. Therefore, the use of NCT “is unlikely to pose a significant risk to staff or other patients when undertaken in patients without active Covid-related conjunctivitis”.

They go on to advise that, following a local risk assessment, it is now “acceptable to restart the use of air puff tonometry”.  As well as following practice infection prevention and control procedures, they recommend that after each use:

• The instrument head is wiped with an appropriate disinfectant wipe
  
  
• You perform three puffs between each patient to help “clear the tip”.

Read the full statement.