COMPARING THE PREVENTIVE EFFECT OF ADHESIVE TAPE AND EYE OINTMENT ON EYE DRYNESS AND CORNEAL ABRASION IN ICU PATIENTS

eye complications are common in Intensive care units’ patients. Different
methods are recommended to prevent these complications. In this research the preventive effects of
eye lubricant ointment and adhesive tape on eye-dryness and corneal abrasion were compared. The
study carried on 87 ICU patients at Shariati hospital in Tehran and Shahid Beheshti Hospital in
Kashan.
Materials & Methods: the patients randomly recruited in 3 groups of adhesive tape, eye lubricant
ointment and control group. The eye care implemented, afterward the eye dryness and corneal
abrasion were examined on the first and fifth days. The data analyzed using SPSS software and qhisquare, kruskal wallis and wilcoxon statistical tests.
Result: although the difference in eye-dryness and corneal abrasion was not statistically significant,
the incidence of corneal abrasion was twice in adhesive tape group. On the fifth day, 38 patients (43.
7%) had eye dryness and 12 patients (13. 8%) had corneal abrasion. The odds-ratio of eye-dryness on
occurrence of corneal abrasion was 19. 5.
Conclusion: the eye lubricant ointment is a preferred method on prevention of eye dryness and
corneal abrasion in ICU patients.