Basic slit lamp techniques.

Get the patient comfortable in the chin rest by manipulating the machine distance, elevation of the chair, and correct angling of the machine to the patient. Elderly patients need time and assistance to get positioned. Make sure they are elevated enough to get their foreheads against the headrest with comfort, or they will tend to easily drift backward during the exam, and your focusing power will be inaccurate. A little time taken positioning the patient can mean a more expedient and efficient exam. Align the eye marker on the headrest to the lateral canthus of the eye. Always speak calmly and logically to your patient. As soon as you have positioned the patient's chin on the rest, tell the patient to look at your right ear when examining the patient's right eye, and vice versa. The patient needs something to concentrate on as soon as positioned. Practice makes perfect. If you can visualize the three main components that make up the slit lamp--the head and chin rest for the patient, the microscope, and a housing for the illumination and the diaphragm controls--the machine becomes less overwhelming and better understood. Utilizing the biomicroscope effectively can allow great views of the dynamics in ocular anatomy and physiology.