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. 2020 Dec;40(12):1857-1862.
doi: 10.1038/s41372-020-00852-3. Epub 2020 Oct 15.

Reducing discomfort of eye drops prior to retinal examination in the neonatal intensive care unit

Dan Ni Wang  1 , Kyla Lavery  2 , Stacey Dalgleish  3 , Alexandra Howlett  3 , Vivian E Hill  2 , Stephanie A Dotchin  2
Affiliations

Reducing discomfort of eye drops prior to retinal examination in the neonatal intensive care unit

Dan Ni Wang et al. J Perinatol. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness in reducing pain by giving oral sucrose and non-pharmacological comfort measures prior to topical administration of mydriatic eye drops on premature infants undergoing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening eye exams in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).

Study design: A prospective quality improvement study was conducted in the NICU where infants were given oral sucrose prior to administration of mydriatic eye drops while a second person performed facilitated tucking and containment. Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) scores were recorded during eye drop administration and compared to a group that did not receive any comfort measures.

Result: Sixty-eight infants were enrolled. Mean PIPP scores increased an average of 1.5 (SD = 1.5) during administration of mydriatic drops without comfort measures compared to 0.6 (SD = 0.8) when comfort measures were used. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Oral sucrose and simple comfort measures can be effective in reducing pain associated with mydriatic eye drops.

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References

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