Practice Test Geeks(CPOA) Certified Paraoptometric Assistant Practice Test
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Diagnostic Testing Flashcards

7 cards from real CPOA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Diagnostic Testing flashcards as text

  1. When performing non-contact tonometry (air-puff), the puff of air:

    Answer: Briefly flattens the cornea and the instrument measures the time or force required

    Non-contact tonometry directs a puff of air at the cornea, and the instrument measures the corneal applanation time or the reflected light to calculate IOP.

  2. A pupil that is larger than normal and does not constrict to light but constricts to accommodation is characteristic of:

    Answer: Adie's tonic pupil

    Adie's tonic pupil (Holmes-Adie syndrome) is a benign condition with a dilated, light-near dissociated pupil that constricts slowly and tonically to near targets.

  3. In OCT imaging of the macula, drusen appear as:

    Answer: Deposits causing focal elevation of the retinal pigment epithelium

    Drusen appear on OCT as focal elevations or bumps of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), representing lipid and protein deposits associated with AMD.

  4. A technician is preparing a patient for fluorescein angiography. The most important question to ask before injecting fluorescein is:

    Answer: Does the patient have any allergies, especially to fluorescein or iodine?

    Allergic reactions — including anaphylaxis — can occur with intravenous fluorescein, so allergy history must be confirmed before injection.

  5. The retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) is best evaluated using which imaging modality?

    Answer: Optical coherence tomography (OCT)

    OCT provides high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of the RNFL thickness, making it the standard tool for detecting glaucomatous damage to the nerve fiber layer.

  6. A swinging flashlight test (RAPD test) is used to detect a defect in the:

    Answer: Afferent pupillary pathway (optic nerve or retina)

    The swinging flashlight test reveals a relative afferent pupillary defect (RAPD) by comparing the direct and consensual pupillary responses between eyes, indicating optic nerve or significant retinal disease.

  7. Specular microscopy of the cornea is used to evaluate:

    Answer: Corneal endothelial cell density and morphology

    Specular microscopy images the endothelial cell layer and measures cell density (cells/mm²) and morphology, which is important before cataract surgery or contact lens fitting.