A worker arrives after a cleaning chemical splashed into one eye. What should the nurse do first?
Irrigate the eye with sterile saline or water
✓
Test visual acuity with an eye chart
Patch the eye closed and wait for the specialist
Apply antibiotic ointment to the eye
Correct Answer
Irrigate the eye with sterile saline or water
A chemical burn keeps damaging the eye for as long as the substance stays on its surface, so irrigation with sterile saline or water starts right away. Test visual acuity with an eye chart is delayed until after irrigation in a chemical injury. Patch the eye closed and wait for the specialist traps the chemical against the eye. Apply antibiotic ointment to the eye does nothing to remove the chemical and is not the first step.
Category: Eye Trauma
Question 2
A patient with a suspected ruptured globe after a fall is waiting for the ophthalmologist. Which action protects the eye?
Apply a firm pressure patch to stop the bleeding
Place a rigid shield over the eye without pressing on it
✓
Irrigate the eye forcefully to remove debris
Remove any object that is protruding from the eye
Correct Answer
Place a rigid shield over the eye without pressing on it
A rigid shield rests on the bony orbit and keeps anything from pushing on the eye, which prevents the contents of a ruptured globe from being squeezed out. Apply a firm pressure patch to stop the bleeding presses on the injured eye and can worsen the damage. Irrigate the eye forcefully to remove debris adds pressure to an open globe. Remove any object that is protruding from the eye can cause further injury; an embedded object is stabilized and left for the surgeon.
Category: Eye Trauma
Question 3
A patient has a hyphema after being struck in the eye by a ball. Which position does the nurse maintain?
Flat on the back
Prone with the face down
Head of the bed elevated
✓
Head lower than the feet
Correct Answer
Head of the bed elevated
Elevating the head of the bed lets the blood in the anterior chamber settle downward, away from the line of vision, and is paired with bed rest to limit rebleeding. Flat on the back lets blood spread across the anterior chamber and blocks vision. Prone with the face down allows blood to collect against the cornea and is not used. Head lower than the feet increases blood flow and pressure in the head and eye.
Category: Eye Trauma
Question 4
A nurse in an eye clinic is returning several calls. Which patient needs to be seen immediately?
A patient whose vision has slowly become cloudy
A patient with itchy, watery eyes during pollen season
A patient who has trouble reading small print in dim light
A patient with sudden severe eye pain, halos around lights and vomiting
✓
Correct Answer
A patient with sudden severe eye pain, halos around lights and vomiting
Sudden severe eye pain with halos, blurred vision, nausea and vomiting suggests acute angle-closure glaucoma, in which pressure inside the eye rises rapidly and can destroy the optic nerve without emergency treatment. A patient whose vision has slowly become cloudy describes a gradual problem such as a cataract that can be scheduled. A patient with itchy, watery eyes during pollen season describes allergic conjunctivitis. A patient who has trouble reading small print in dim light has a common near-vision problem that is not an emergency.
Category: Glaucoma and Cataract
Question 5
An older adult reports that her vision has become blurry and dim, colors look faded, and oncoming headlights cause bothersome glare when she drives at night. Which condition does the nurse suspect?
Cataract
✓
Open-angle glaucoma
Retinal detachment
Conjunctivitis
Correct Answer
Cataract
Clouding of the lens scatters light, which causes blurred or dim vision, glare, faded colors and poor night vision that develop slowly and painlessly. Open-angle glaucoma typically steals peripheral vision first without glare or faded colors. Retinal detachment comes on suddenly with flashes, floaters or a shadow over the field of vision. Conjunctivitis causes redness, discharge and itching rather than gradual cloudy vision.
Category: Glaucoma and Cataract
Question 6
A patient who wears contact lenses has eye pain, redness, sensitivity to light and a white spot on the clear front surface of the eye. Which condition does the nurse suspect?
Retinal detachment
Corneal ulcer
✓
Open-angle glaucoma
Allergic conjunctivitis
Correct Answer
Corneal ulcer
A corneal ulcer is tissue breakdown on the cornea from bacterial, viral or fungal infection, and contact lens wear is a common risk; it causes pain, redness, light sensitivity, tearing and a white or yellowish spot and needs prompt antimicrobial treatment to protect vision. Retinal detachment causes flashes, floaters or a shadow over vision, not a visible spot on the front of the eye. Open-angle glaucoma causes gradual, painless loss of side vision. Allergic conjunctivitis causes itching and tearing without a white spot on the cornea.
Category: Other Eye Disorders
Question 7
A patient with glaucoma asks which activities to avoid. Which activity raises the pressure inside the eye?
Walking on a level surface
Reading with good lighting
Exercises done with the head lower than the heart
✓
Wearing sunglasses outdoors
Correct Answer
Exercises done with the head lower than the heart
Head-down positions and straining increase pressure inside the eye, so patients with glaucoma are taught to avoid them along with using their prescribed drops. Walking on a level surface is safe, healthy exercise. Reading with good lighting does not raise eye pressure. Wearing sunglasses outdoors protects the eyes and has no effect on pressure.
Category: Glaucoma and Cataract
Question 8
A nurse is screening patients for raised pressure inside the eye that can damage the optic nerve. Which history finding raises that risk?
Regular aerobic exercise
Wearing contact lenses
Seasonal allergies
A parent with glaucoma
✓
Correct Answer
A parent with glaucoma
Family history is a recognized risk factor for glaucoma and can bring the disease on at a younger age, so relatives of people with glaucoma need regular eye exams; older age, diabetes, hypertension, smoking and prior eye injury or surgery also raise risk. Regular aerobic exercise is not a glaucoma risk factor. Wearing contact lenses raises the risk of corneal infection, not glaucoma. Seasonal allergies cause allergic conjunctivitis rather than glaucoma.
Category: Glaucoma and Cataract
Question 9
A patient with age-related macular degeneration is taught to check for changes in central vision at home. Which tool will the patient use?
Amsler grid
✓
Snellen chart
Tonometer
Otoscope
Correct Answer
Amsler grid
An Amsler grid is a square of straight lines with a central dot, and wavy, missing or distorted lines signal a change in the macula that should be reported promptly. A Snellen chart measures distance visual acuity in a clinic. A tonometer measures pressure inside the eye. An otoscope is used to examine the ear.
Category: Retinal Disorders
Question 10
A patient with diabetes asks how to protect his eyesight. Which teaching helps slow diabetic retinopathy?
Avoid reading for long periods
Keep blood glucose and blood pressure well controlled
✓
Use artificial tears each morning
Wear an eye patch while sleeping
Correct Answer
Keep blood glucose and blood pressure well controlled
Long-standing high blood glucose weakens retinal vessels, and high blood pressure adds to the damage, so good control of both, along with regular dilated eye exams, slows retinopathy. Avoid reading for long periods does not affect the retinal vessels. Use artificial tears each morning treats dry eye, not retinopathy. Wear an eye patch while sleeping has no effect on the retina.
Category: Retinal Disorders
Question 11
A patient calls the clinic reporting a sudden shower of floaters and flashes of light in one eye. What should the nurse advise?
Rest the eyes and call back if it does not clear up
Use lubricating drops and avoid screens
Be seen urgently for an eye examination
✓
Schedule a routine glasses check
Correct Answer
Be seen urgently for an eye examination
A sudden burst of floaters and flashing lights can signal a retinal tear or detachment, which needs prompt evaluation because treatment is most likely to save vision when given early. Rest the eyes and call back if it does not clear up delays care for a possible emergency. Use lubricating drops and avoid screens treats dry eye, not a retinal problem. Schedule a routine glasses check is far too slow for this warning sign.
Category: Retinal Disorders
Question 12
A patient has viral conjunctivitis. Which teaching helps prevent spreading it to others?
Wear contact lenses to cover the eye
Apply warm, shared washcloths to both eyes
Return to close contact once the redness starts
Wash hands often and do not share towels
✓
Correct Answer
Wash hands often and do not share towels
Viral conjunctivitis spreads easily through hands and shared items, so frequent handwashing and not sharing towels or pillowcases limit spread while the infection runs its course. Wear contact lenses to cover the eye irritates the eye and can trap infection. Apply warm, shared washcloths to both eyes spreads the virus to the other eye and to others. Return to close contact once the redness starts ignores that the eye is contagious while symptoms are active.
Category: Other Eye Disorders
Question 13
A nurse is helping a patient who is blind walk to the bathroom. How should the nurse guide the patient?
Offer an arm and walk slightly ahead
✓
Push the patient gently from behind
Hold the patient's hands while walking backward
Describe the route and let the patient walk alone
Correct Answer
Offer an arm and walk slightly ahead
In the sighted guide technique the patient holds the nurse's arm just above the elbow and follows a half step behind, feeling turns and stops through the nurse's movement. Push the patient gently from behind removes the patient's control and increases fall risk. Hold the patient's hands while walking backward is awkward and unsafe for the nurse. Describe the route and let the patient walk alone leaves a patient in an unfamiliar setting without support.
Category: Other Eye Disorders
Question 14
An older adult reports muffled hearing and a feeling of fullness in one ear. Otoscopy shows the canal filled with a dark, waxy mass. Which condition is present?
Acoustic neuroma
Cerumen impaction
✓
Otitis media
Perforated eardrum
Correct Answer
Cerumen impaction
A buildup of earwax that blocks the canal causes conductive hearing loss, fullness and sometimes tinnitus, and it is common in older adults. Acoustic neuroma is a nerve tumor that is not visible in the ear canal. Otitis media is an infection behind the eardrum, seen as a red or bulging membrane. Perforated eardrum appears as a hole in the membrane, not as a waxy mass in the canal.
Category: Ear Disorders
Question 15
A patient with an ear infection reports that severe ear pain suddenly eased, followed by drainage from the ear. What do these findings suggest?
Spread of infection to the brain
Impacted earwax
Perforation of the tympanic membrane
✓
Successful response to antibiotics
Correct Answer
Perforation of the tympanic membrane
Pressure from fluid behind the eardrum can tear the membrane, and the pain often eases as soon as the fluid drains out into the canal. Spread of infection to the brain would cause worsening signs such as fever, headache and confusion, not sudden relief. Impacted earwax does not cause sudden drainage. Successful response to antibiotics would reduce pain gradually without new discharge.
Category: Ear Disorders
Question 16
Which treatment repositions displaced crystals within the inner ear canals in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo?
Valsalva maneuver
Romberg test
Weber test
Epley maneuver
✓
Correct Answer
Epley maneuver
The Epley maneuver is a series of head and body movements that moves loose crystals out of the semicircular canals, which relieves the brief spinning episodes triggered by head position. The Valsalva maneuver is forced exhalation against a closed airway. The Romberg test assesses balance with the eyes closed. The Weber test uses a tuning fork to compare hearing between the ears.
Category: Vertigo and Inner Ear
Question 17
Which teaching helps a patient cope with an episode of vertigo?
Fix the eyes on a stable object
✓
Turn the head quickly to reset balance
Read a book to take the mind off it
Walk briskly until the spinning passes
Correct Answer
Fix the eyes on a stable object
Focusing on a fixed object steadies the visual input and lessens the false sense of motion, and avoiding sudden head movements helps prevent episodes. Turn the head quickly to reset balance worsens vertigo. Read a book to take the mind off it requires eye movements that can increase dizziness. Walk briskly until the spinning passes raises the risk of a fall; sitting or lying down is safer.
Category: Vertigo and Inner Ear
Question 18
A tumor from the cells that wrap the vestibular nerve is causing one-sided hearing loss, ringing in the ear and imbalance. Which condition is this?
Cholesteatoma
Acoustic neuroma
✓
Otosclerosis
Meniere disease
Correct Answer
Acoustic neuroma
An acoustic neuroma, or vestibular schwannoma, is a benign tumor of the nerve to the inner ear that compresses nearby nerves as it grows. Cholesteatoma is an abnormal skin growth in the middle ear. Otosclerosis is abnormal bone growth that fixes the tiny bones of the middle ear. Meniere disease is a disorder of inner ear fluid, not a tumor.
Category: Vertigo and Inner Ear
Question 19
A patient with severe hearing loss has trouble following spoken discharge instructions even with amplification. Which approach supports the teaching?
Speak louder and faster to finish sooner
Give the instructions only to a family member
Give written instructions and ask the patient to explain them back
✓
Skip the teaching and mail a pamphlet later
Correct Answer
Give written instructions and ask the patient to explain them back
Written instructions on a notepad, whiteboard or device give the patient a reliable channel, and asking the patient to explain them back confirms understanding before discharge. Speak louder and faster to finish sooner distorts speech and makes it harder to follow. Give the instructions only to a family member leaves the patient out of their own care. Skip the teaching and mail a pamphlet later leaves the patient without teaching or a chance to ask questions.
Category: Hearing Loss Care
Question 20
A patient with tinnitus says the ringing keeps him awake at night. Which measure should the nurse suggest?
Keeping the bedroom completely silent
Cleaning the ear canals with cotton swabs
Turning a fan on only during the day
Using a white noise machine at bedtime
✓
Correct Answer
Using a white noise machine at bedtime
Sound therapy such as a white noise machine masks the ringing so it is less noticeable and makes it easier to fall asleep. Keeping the bedroom completely silent makes the ringing stand out more. Cleaning the ear canals with cotton swabs can push wax deeper and injure the ear. Turning a fan on only during the day provides no masking sound at night when it is needed.
Category: Hearing Loss Care