Question

A 51 year old male patient comes to the clinic complaining of eye pain, photophobia, tearing and blurred vision in one eye. The NP uses fluorescein dye and a black lamp to assess for Herpes Keratitis. What finding should the NP suspect for this diagnosis?

a. Fern-like lines in the corneal surface
b. Round circles in the corneal surface
c. Pin-point spots along corneal surface
d. Sharp lines across cornea surface

Answer 1

When diagnosing herpes keratitis, the presence of fern-like lines on the corneal surface after application of fluorescein dye and examination under a black lamp is the indicative finding.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a nurse practitioner (NP) suspects herpes keratitis in a patient complaining of eye pain, photophobia, tearing and blurred vision in one eye, and conducts an examination with fluorescein dye and a black lamp (also known as a Wood's lamp), they would be looking for a specific pattern on the cornea. The correct finding that would indicate herpes keratitis would be a. Fern-like lines on the corneal surface. These lines are known as dendritic ulcers, which are a classic sign of herpes simplex virus infection in the cornea.