Vision Center Ophthalmic Assistant

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center•Beverly Hills, CA

12d

About The Position

The Ophthalmic Assistant supports ophthalmologists and optometrists in providing patient care in a vision center. The role includes escorting patients to examination rooms, gathering medical histories, assisting with eye assessments and diagnostic testing, documenting results, and alerting providers to relevant changes. The assistant also supports office procedures and surgeries, administers certain topical medications and diagnostic drugs as directed, coordinates appointments and surgery scheduling, and counsels patients about provider instructions and care. Additional duties include ordering and fitting contact lenses and prescription lenses, maintaining clean and disinfected clinical areas, completing required logs, and managing supplies and medical inventory.

Requirements

Successful completion of an accredited Ophthalmic Assistant or Medical Assistant program.
BLS certification from the American Heart Association and/or the American Red Cross.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant designation required within one year of hire.

Responsibilities

Escort patients to examining rooms, take detailed medical histories, and determine the reason for the visit.
Assist with muscle, motility, extraocular movement, and visual acuity assessments.
Summarize patient history for the provider and alert the ophthalmologist or optometrist to changes in visual acuity, elevated extraocular pressure or blood pressure, and other relevant findings.
Document examination and treatment results in patient charts.
Assist with office procedures and perform diagnostic and eye-function tests, including visual acuity, tonometry, pachymetry or corneal topography, automated lensometry, autorefractometry or keratometry, optical coherence tomography, visual field testing, fundus photography, IOL coherence testing, Schirmer’s testing, stereopsis, Ishihara color testing, and other directed tests.
Assist with office procedures including RK surgery, nasolacrimal duct irrigation, chalazion excision, and tear duct probing.
Administer topical medications or diagnostic drugs as directed by the ophthalmologist or optometrist, including cycloplegiacs, mydriatics, and topical anesthetics that are not controlled substances.
Schedule surgeries, contact surgical centers, verify times with patients, and prepare charts, preadmission forms, and consent forms.
Schedule patients with other doctors for consultations as required.
Counsel patients in person and by phone concerning physician orders, use of drops, contact lenses, medications, and surgery-related questions.
Order contact lenses, fit prescription lenses, and prepare, transmit, or call in prescriptions authorized by a provider.
Clean and disinfect clinical areas and sterilize equipment.
Complete required logs accurately.
Order and stock supplies and medical inventory.