If a patient is prescribed one drop twice daily to the left eye, which prescription notation correctly represents this?

Prepare for the Certified Paraoptometric Assistant (CPOA) Exam. Study with extensive flashcards and multiple choice questions with explanations. Enhance your skills and knowledge to succeed.

Multiple Choice

If a patient is prescribed one drop twice daily to the left eye, which prescription notation correctly represents this?

Explanation:
Understanding how to read ophthalmic prescriptions is about dose, frequency, and eye. 'gt' stands for gutta, meaning one drop. 'bid' means twice daily. 'O.S.' designates the left eye. So the notation for one drop twice daily to the left eye is: one gutta bid O.S. This leaves no ambiguity about how much to use, how often, and which eye. If the eye designation were right eye (O.D.), or the dose were two drops, or the frequency were four times daily instead of twice, the instruction would be different, which is why those other notations wouldn’t fit.

Understanding how to read ophthalmic prescriptions is about dose, frequency, and eye. 'gt' stands for gutta, meaning one drop. 'bid' means twice daily. 'O.S.' designates the left eye. So the notation for one drop twice daily to the left eye is: one gutta bid O.S. This leaves no ambiguity about how much to use, how often, and which eye.

If the eye designation were right eye (O.D.), or the dose were two drops, or the frequency were four times daily instead of twice, the instruction would be different, which is why those other notations wouldn’t fit.

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