Cleaner and Greener: New Disinfection Guidelines with Dr. Cheryl Khanna

What if a decades-old infection-control rule isn’t actually making eye care safer and is instead damaging equipment, generating unnecessary plastic waste, and costing the health care system millions?  In this episode, we are joined by Mayo Clinic glaucoma specialist, Dr. Cheryl Khanna, to discuss a potentially practice-changing position statement from the American Glaucoma Society and American Academy of Ophthalmology on tonometer disinfection. The group explores why longstanding high-level disinfection requirements may deserve reconsideration, including the lack of confirmed infections transmitted through tonometry, potential damage to Goldmann tonometer tips from high-level disinfection, and the unique antimicrobial properties of the ocular surface.  Tune in to hear evidence supporting physical cleaning and low-level disinfection for appropriately selected patients.  Finally, the conversation tackles the financial and environmental consequences of disposable devices in ophthalmology and what still needs to happen before these recommendations translate into widespread changes in clinical practice.

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