How to use a slit lamp
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
The slit lamp gives a magnified view of the front of the eye.
Step by step
Position
Patient's chin on the rest, forehead against the band, eyes level with the mark. [1]
Start low
Low magnification, wide beam. [1]
Front to back
Lids, lashes, conjunctiva, cornea, anterior chamber, iris, lens. [1]
Narrow beam
Look for cells in the anterior chamber and corneal depth. [1]
Fluorescein
Stain and blue light for scratches and ulcers. [1]
Record
Draw findings. [1]
Common errors
- Too bright, too fast.
- Skipping fluorescein in eye pain.
- Not checking under the lid for a foreign body.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Pepper spray exposure
- Rosacea
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome
- Toxic epidermal necrolysis
- Seborrheic dermatitis
- Infantile hemangioma
62 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam)
- NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint; Stanford Medicine 25 (bedside exam). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.