Slit lamp (Guidelines)

Slit lamp use

1. Adjust patient chair height
2. Adjust slit lamp table height – release lock under middle of table
3. Adjust chin-rest height to make patient’s eyes level with black line
4. Lock slit lamp wheels if necessary, eg. if removing a corneal foreign body
5. Adjust eyepieces – zero if wearing glasses or don’t require glasses
6. Adjust interpupillary distance, ie. separate the eyepieces until get same view with each eye
7. Turn slit lamp on at wall
8. Turn slit lamp on at rheostat – under left hand corner of table (usually 1 click sufficient)
9. Loosen immobilising screw to allow slit lamp to move on table
10. Gross focus by moving whole slit lamp unit forward on table holding joystick upright
11. Fine focus by moving joystick forward and backward
12. Fine up and down movement adjusted by turning joystick
13. Alter height of beam by turning knob attached to millimetre scale
14. Alter width of beam by turning large silver knob either side of bottom of scaffold
15. Alter illumination intensity at either the rheostat (below left hand corner of table) or by adjusting the filter switch below the bulb (bright left, less bright in middle)
16. Fluorescein used with Cobalt Blue light – turn knob attached to millimetre scale past “8”
17. Alter magnification - usually lever hanging below eyepieces (left low, right high mag) or large knob on side of body on newer slit lamps
18. TURN SLIT LAMP OFF AT END OF EXAMINATION