Chapter 6- pg 181 Eye and Ear Assessment and Procedures

What is the visual acuity test typically used for in a routine physical examination?

Screening test to detect deficiencies in vision

What tools are used by a medical assistant to assess color vision?

Colored plates

What is the definition of irrigation?

Washing a body canal with a flowing solution

What is the definition of instillation?

Dropping a liquid into a body cavity

What clinical principle must always be followed when performing eye irrigations and instillations?

Medical asepsis

What is color blindness?

Inability to distinguish certain colors

What is the most common problem or type of color blindness?

Red and green

Name two career fields mentioned where the ability to distinguish colors is highly significant

Electronics and interior decorating

What is the outer layer of the eye and what is it composed of?

Sclera- tough white fibrous connective tissue

What modified structure forms the front part of the sclera

Cornea- covering over the colored part of the eye

What is the middle layer of the eye and what is its composition?

Choroid- many blood vessels and highly pigmented

What are the two main functions of the choroid layer?

Nourish the other layers and absorb stray light rays

What is the third and innermost layer of the eye?

Retina

What are three structures make up specialized front part of the choroid?

Ciliary body, suspensory ligaments, and iris

What is the function of the ciliary body?

Control the shape of the lens

What is the function of the suspensory ligaments?

Suspend the lens in place

What part of the eye is responsible for focusing light rays on the retina?

Lens

What is the iris and what does it control?

Colored part of the eye, size of the pupil

What is the purpose of the pupil?

Permits the entrance of light rays

How are visual images transmitted from the retina to the brain?

Optica nerve