Chapter 58: Assessment and Management of Patients with Eye and Vision Disorders Flashcards
- The registered nurse taking shift report learns that an assigned client is blind. How
should the nurse best communicate with this client?
A. The nurse should provide instructions in simple, clear terms.
B. Using a loud voice, the nurse should offer an introduction while in the doorway
of the room.
C. Lightly touch the client’s arm and then say the nurse’s name .
D. The nurse should state the nurse’s name and role immediately after entering the
client’s room.
ANS: D
Rationale: There are several guidelines to consider when interacting with a person who is blind or has low vision. Identify yourself by stating your name and role, before touching or making physical contact with the client. When talking to the person, speak directly at him or her using a normal tone of voice. There is no need to raise your voice unless the person asks you to do so and there is no particular need to simplify verbal instructions.
- During discharge teaching the nurse realizes that the client is not able to read
medication bottles accurately and has not been taking her medications consistently at
home. How should the nurse intervene?
A. Ask the social worker to investigate alternative housing arrangements.
B. Ask the social worker to investigate community support agencies.
C. Encourage the client to explore surgical corrections for the vision problem.
D. Arrange for referral to a rehabilitation facility for vision training.
ANS: B
Rationale: Managing low vision involves magnification and image enhancement through the use of low-vision aids and strategies and referrals to social services and community
agencies serving those with visual impairment. Community agencies offer services to clients with low vision, which include training in independent living skills and a variety of
assistive devices for vision enhancement, orientation, and mobility, preventing clients from needing to enter a nursing facility. A rehabilitation facility is generally not needed by
the clients to learn to use the assistive devices or to gain a greater degree of independence. Surgical options may or may not be available to the client.
- The nurse is providing health education to a client diagnosed with glaucoma. The nurse
teaches the client that this disease has a familial tendency. The nurse knows that clinical
examinations for family members at risk for glaucoma should occur how often?
A. At least monthly
B. At least once every 2 years
C. At least once every 5 years
D. At least once every 10 years
ANS: B
Rationale: Glaucoma has a family tendency and family members should be encouraged to undergo examinations at least once every 2 years to detect glaucoma early. Testing on a monthly basis is excessive.
- A client is exploring treatment options after being diagnosed with age-related
cataracts that affect her vision. What treatment is most likely to be used in this client’s
care?
A. Antioxidant supplements, vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, and selenium
B. Eyeglasses or magnifying lenses
C. Corticosteroid eye drops
D. Surgical intervention
ANS: D
Rationale: Surgery is the treatment option of choice when the client’s functional and visual status is compromised. No nonsurgical (medications, eye drops, eyeglasses)
treatment cures cataracts or prevents age-related cataracts. Studies recently have found no benefit from antioxidant supplements, vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, or selenium.
Corticosteroid eye drops are prescribed for use after cataract surgery; however, they increase the risk for cataracts if used long-term or in high doses. Eyeglasses and
magnification may improve vision in the client with early stages of cataracts, but have limitations for the client with impaired functioning.
- A client presents at the ED after receiving a chemical burn to the eye. What would be
the nurse’s initial intervention for this client?
A. Generously flush the affected eye with a dilute antibiotic solution.
B. Generously flush the affected eye with normal saline or water.
C. Apply a patch to the affected eye.
D. Apply direct pressure to the affected eye.
ANS: B
Rationale: Chemical burns of the eye should be immediately irrigated with water or normal saline to flush the chemical from the eye. Antibiotic solutions, lubricant drops, and
other prescription drops may be prescribed at a later time. Application of direct pressure may extend the damage to the eye tissue and should be avoided. Patching will be
incorporated into the treatment plan at a later time to assist with the process of re-epithelialization, but at this point in the care of the client, patching will prevent irrigation of the eye.
- The nurse is administering eye drops to a client with glaucoma. After instilling the
client’s first medication, how long should the nurse wait before instilling the client’s
second medication into the same eye?
A. 30 seconds
B. 1 minute
C. 3 minutes
D. 5 minutes
ANS: D
Rationale: A 5-minute interval between successive eye drop administrations allows for adequate drug retention and absorption. Any time frame less than 5 minutes will not
allow adequate absorption.
- A client comes to the ophthalmology clinic for an eye examination. The client tells the
nurse that the client often sees floaters in the client’s vision. How should the nurse best
interpret this subjective assessment finding?
A. This is a normal aging process of the eye.
B. Glasses will minimize this phenomenon.
C. The client may be exhibiting signs of glaucoma.
D. This may be a result of weakened ciliary muscles.
ANS: A
Rationale: As the body ages, the perfect gel-like characteristics of the vitreous humor are gradually lost, and various cells and fibers cast shadows that the client perceives as floaters. This is a normal aging process in most cases.
- A client’s ocular tumor has necessitated enucleation and the client will be fitted with a
prosthesis. The nurse should address what nursing diagnosis when planning the client’s
discharge education?
A. Disturbed body image
B. Chronic pain
C. Ineffective protection
D. Unilateral neglect
ANS: A
Rationale: The use of an ocular prosthesis is likely to have a significant impact on a client’s body image. Prostheses are not associated with chronic pain or ineffective
protection. The client experiences a change in vision, but is usually able to accommodate such changes and prevent unilateral neglect.
- The nurse’s assessment of a client with significant visual losses reveals that the client
cannot count fingers. How should the nurse proceed with assessment of the client’s visual
acuity?
A. Assess the client’s vision using a Snellen chart.
B. Determine whether the client is able to see the nurse’s hand motion.
C. Perform a detailed examination of the client’s external eye structures.
D. Palpate the client’s periocular regions.
ANS: B
Rationale: If the client cannot count fingers, the examiner raises one hand up and down or moves it side to side and asks in which direction the hand is moving. An inability to
count fingers precludes the use of a Snellen chart. Palpation and examination cannot ascertain visual acuity.
- The nurse on the medical–surgical unit is reviewing discharge instructions with a
client who has a history of glaucoma. The nurse should anticipate the use of what
medications?
A. Potassium-sparing diuretics
B. Cholinergics
C. Antibiotics
D. Loop diuretics
ANS: B
Rationale: Cholinergics are used in the treatment of glaucoma. The action of this medication is to increase aqueous fluid outflow by contracting the ciliary muscle and
causing miosis and opening the trabecular meshwork. Diuretics and antibiotics are not used in the management of glaucoma.
- A nurse is teaching a client with glaucoma how to administer eye drops to achieve
maximum absorption. The nurse should teach the client to perform what action?
A. Instill the medication in the conjunctival sac.
B. Maintain a supine position for 10 minutes after administration.
C. Keep the eyes closed for 1 to 2 minutes after administration.
D. Apply the medication evenly to the sclera
ANS: A
Rationale: Eye drops should be instilled into the conjunctival sac, where absorption can best take place, rather than distributed over the sclera. It is unnecessary to keep the
eyes closed or to maintain a supine position after administration.
- A client with chronic open-angle glaucoma is being taught to self-administer
pilocarpine. After the client administers the pilocarpine, the client states that the client’s
vision is blurred. Which nursing action is most appropriate?
A. Holding the next dose and notifying the health care provider
B. Treating the client for an allergic reaction
C. Suggesting that the client put on her glasses
D. Explaining that this is an expected adverse effect
ANS: D
Rationale: Pilocarpine, a miotic drug used to treat glaucoma, achieves its effect by constricting the pupil. Blurred vision lasting 1 to 2 hours after instilling the eye drops is an
expected adverse effect. The client may also note difficulty adapting to the dark. Because blurred vision is an expected adverse effect, the drug does not need to be withheld, nor
does the health care provider need to be notified. Likewise, the client does not need to be treated for an allergic reaction. Wearing glasses will not alter this temporary adverse effect.
- The nurse should recognize the greatest risk for the development of blindness in
which of the following clients?
A. A 58-year-old Caucasian woman with macular degeneration
B. A 28-year-old Caucasian man with astigmatism
C. A 58-year-old black woman with hyperopia
D. A 28-year-old black man with myopia
ANS: A
Rationale: The most common causes of blindness and visual impairment among adults 40 years of age or older are diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and
cataracts. The 58-year-old Caucasian woman with macular degeneration has the greatest risk for the development of blindness related to her age and the presence of macular degeneration. Individuals with hyperopia, astigmatism, and myopia are not in a risk category for blindness.
- The nurse is admitting a 55-year-old client diagnosed with a left eye retinal
detachment. While assessing this client, what characteristic symptom would the nurse
expect to find?
A. Flashing lights in the visual field
B. Sudden eye pain
C. Loss of color vision
D. Colored halos around lights
ANS: A
Rationale: Flashing lights in the visual field is a common symptom of retinal detachment. Clients may also report spots or floaters or the sensation of a curtain being pulled across the eye. Retinal detachment is not associated with eye pain, loss of color vision, or colored halos around lights.
- Several residents of a long-term care facility have developed signs and symptoms of
viral conjunctivitis. What is the most appropriate action of the nurse who oversees care
in the facility?
A. Arrange for the administration of prophylactic antibiotics to unaffected
residents.
B. Instill normal saline into the eyes of affected residents two to three times daily.
C. Swab the conjunctiva of unaffected residents for culture and sensitivity testing.
D. Isolate affected residents from residents who have not developed conjunctivitis.
ANS: D
Rationale: To prevent spread during outbreaks of conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus, health care facilities must set aside specified areas for treating clients diagnosed with or suspected of having conjunctivitis caused by adenovirus. Antibiotics and saline flushes are ineffective and normally there is no need to perform testing of individuals lacking symptoms.