During a routine eye exam, a patient mentions experiencing occasional blurry vision and halos around lights. The medical assistant prepares to measure the patient's intraocular pressure (IOP) using tonometry. Which of the following steps is essential to perform before taking the IOP measurement to ensure the patient's safety and accuracy of the test results?
Ask the patient to complete a visual acuity test to gauge the level of blurriness they are experiencing.
Assess for allergies related to the tonometry equipment to prevent hypersensitivity reactions.
Instill anesthetic eye drops into the patient's eyes to numb the surface before measurement.
Dilate the patient's pupils to ensure a clear pathway for the tonometry device.
Instilling anesthetic eye drops is an essential step before performing tonometry to numb the surface of the eye, ensuring patient comfort and preventing blinking or eye movement that can affect the accuracy of the reading. The other options do not directly relate to the immediate preparation of tonometry. Dilation of pupils is part of a different eye examination procedure and typically not required for tonometry. Although assessing for allergies is important, it does not necessarily relate to the technical aspect of preparing for tonometry. Taking a visual acuity test is part of an eye examination, but it is not a preparatory step directly linked to measuring IOP.
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