Question

A nurse in an emergency department is assessing a client who reports sudden, severe eye pain with blurry vision. The provider determines that the client has primary angle-closure glaucoma. Which of the following medications should the nurse expect to administer?

a) Timolol
b) Latanoprost
c) Acetazolamide
d) Pilocarpine

Answer 1

The nurse should expect to administer pilocarpine to a patient with primary angle-closure glaucoma to reduce intraocular pressure by facilitating drainage of the aqueous humor. Acetazolamide could also be a potential treatment due to its ability to decrease aqueous humor production.

Step-by-step explanation:

A nurse assessing a client with primary angle-closure glaucoma should expect to administer pilocarpine, a nonspecific muscarinic agonist that treats disorders of the eye by contracting the ciliary muscle. This action facilitates the opening of perforations at the base of the cornea, allowing for the drainage of aqueous humor from the anterior compartment of the eye and thus reducing intraocular pressure related to glaucoma. Acetazolamide could also be considered for its ability to inhibit the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, reducing the formation of aqueous humor and intraocular pressure indirectly.