CPO FREE CPO Ocular Emergencies and Triage Questions and Answers

Question 1

When triaging a chemical burn, what is the most critical initial action, especially in the case of an alkali burn?

Accepted Answer

Initiating copious and prolonged irrigation with water or saline

Answer

For any chemical burn, but especially for alkali burns which penetrate ocular tissue rapidly, immediate, copious, and prolonged irrigation is the most critical first step to dilute and remove the chemical. Neutralizing agents can cause further thermal injury and are contraindicated. Assessing vision and patching are secondary to the emergency irrigation that can save sight.

Question 2

A patient presents with a painful, red eye and blurred vision. On examination, a dome-shaped elevation of a posterior ocular layer is suspected. Which feature would most strongly suggest a choroidal detachment over a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment?

Accepted Answer

The elevation is smooth, dome-shaped, and extends anteriorly to the ciliary body

Answer

Choroidal detachments are characteristically smooth, dome-shaped (convex), and can extend to the ciliary body. In contrast, rhegmatogenous retinal detachments are often more mobile, may have folds, and are attached at the optic disc and ora serrata. While flashes and floaters are classic for retinal detachments, they are less specific. A 'curtain' is also a classic symptom of retinal detachment.

Question 3

Which of the following telephone triage scenarios presents the HIGHEST risk for a retinal tear or detachment and requires the most urgent evaluation?

Accepted Answer

A 58-year-old myope reporting a sudden onset of hundreds of tiny floaters ('like pepper') and flashes of light in one eye that started 3 hours ago.

Answer

A sudden onset of numerous new floaters, often described as a shower or 'pepper', combined with photopsia (flashes) in a myopic patient, represents the highest risk profile for an acute posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) with a concurrent retinal tear. The other scenarios represent lower-risk situations such as a simple PVD, ocular migraine, or chronic, stable floaters.

Question 4

A patient with a history of a scleral buckle procedure for a past retinal detachment presents for a routine check-up. An ultrasound B-scan shows a smooth, convex elevation in the periphery. What finding would help differentiate the scleral buckle from a new choroidal detachment?

Accepted Answer

The elevation has a fixed, circumferential appearance and lacks after-movement

Answer

A scleral buckle is a surgically placed band that indents the sclera. On ultrasound, it appears as a fixed, circumferential structure that does not show the after-movements typical of a fluid-filled choroidal detachment. A shadow can be seen behind the buckle, which helps confirm its solid nature compared to a serous or hemorrhagic choroidal detachment.

Question 5

A patient calls describing symptoms in their right eye that began after a penetrating injury to their left eye two months ago. They report increasing light sensitivity and blurry vision in the right, uninjured eye. Which of the following conditions should be suspected, warranting an immediate referral to an ophthalmologist?

Accepted Answer

Sympathetic ophthalmia

Answer

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare, bilateral granulomatous uveitis that can occur after a penetrating injury or surgery to one eye (the 'inciting' eye). The inflammation then develops in the uninjured eye (the 'sympathizing' eye), typically weeks to months later. The symptoms of photophobia and blurred vision in the fellow eye are classic indicators.

(CPO) Certified Paraoptometric Practice Test

(CPO) Certified Paraoptometric Practice Test

CPO FREE CPO Ocular Emergencies and Triage Questions and Answers