CPOA Patient Care 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A patient expresses anxiety about receiving eye drops for dilation. The best response is:
- Tell the patient they have no choice if they want an exam
- Dismiss the concern and proceed without explanation
- Explain the purpose, expected effects, and duration of dilation (Correct answer)
- Apply the drops before the patient can object
Correct answer: Explain the purpose, expected effects, and duration of dilation
Informed consent and patient education reduce anxiety; explaining the procedure, its purpose, and side effects respects patient autonomy.
Question 2: During a cover test, the examiner notices the uncovered eye moves outward to fixate. This finding suggests:
- Orthophoria
- Esophoria
- Exophoria (Correct answer)
- Hyperphoria
Correct answer: Exophoria
Outward movement of the uncovered eye to pick up fixation indicates the eye was turned inward (esotropia/esophoria), revealing an exo deviation upon uncovering.
Question 3: Which disinfection level is required for instruments that contact intact mucous membranes, such as the tonometer tip?
- Sterilization
- High-level disinfection (Correct answer)
- Intermediate-level disinfection
- Low-level disinfection
Correct answer: High-level disinfection
Instruments that contact mucous membranes require high-level disinfection to eliminate all pathogens except bacterial spores.
Question 4: When recording pupil size using the PERRLA notation, what does the 'L' stand for?
- Left (Correct answer)
- Lighted
- Large
- Luminous
Correct answer: Left
PERRLA stands for Pupils Equal, Round, Reactive to Light and Accommodation — 'L' refers to reactive to Light.
Question 5: A patient asks to review the results of their retinal photographs before seeing the doctor. The paraoptometric should:
- Interpret and explain all findings to the patient
- Show the images and describe any normal anatomy only
- Decline and explain that image interpretation is the doctor's responsibility (Correct answer)
- Share the images and note any abnormalities you observe
Correct answer: Decline and explain that image interpretation is the doctor's responsibility
Interpreting diagnostic images is outside the paraoptometric's scope of practice; clinical findings must be communicated by the licensed optometrist.
Question 6: For a patient with a history of glaucoma, which preliminary test is the most critical to perform accurately?
- Color vision testing
- Stereopsis testing
- Intraocular pressure measurement (Correct answer)
- Cover-uncover test
Correct answer: Intraocular pressure measurement
Elevated intraocular pressure is a primary risk factor for glaucoma progression, making accurate IOP measurement essential at every visit.
Question 7: Which action is appropriate when a patient reports they took their glaucoma drops this morning before the appointment?
- Reschedule the appointment
- Document this in the patient's record and inform the doctor (Correct answer)
- Administer an additional dose of drops
- Ignore it as it does not affect the exam
Correct answer: Document this in the patient's record and inform the doctor
Medication timing can affect IOP readings, so documenting it and alerting the doctor ensures accurate clinical interpretation.
CPOA Patient Care 4
A patient expresses anxiety about receiving eye drops for dilation.
The best response is: