Final answer:
To identify an older adult's safety needs and risk for falls, a nurse should assess visual fields and visual acuity, which can directly impact a person's ability to navigate safely and avoid obstacles.
Step-by-step explanation:
To assess an older adult client's risk for falls, the nurse should examine several aspects of the client's vision due to its critical role in maintaining balance and spatial orientation. The relevant assessments include:
- Visual fields: This part of the assessment evaluates the full extent of the area visible to the eye when the gaze is fixed in one direction. It helps to detect any deficits in peripheral vision which can contribute to fall risks.
- Visual acuity: This measure of the clarity or sharpness of vision is critical for identifying obstacles and navigating safely. A common test for visual acuity is the use of the Snellen chart.
Assessments unrelated to fall risks, such as the lacrimal apparatus or the bulbar conjunctivae (unless it pertains to infection causing visual issues), are not useful in this context. In contrast, tests for pupil clarity could be relevant if they affect visual acuity or visual fields but are not explicitly listed as choices here.