Final answer:
The Jaeger card is used to assess a patient's near vision, whereas the Snellen chart is employed for distance visual acuity, and the Ishihara chart is for color vision testing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tool used by nurses to assess a patient's near vision is the Jaeger card. This card typically displays paragraphs of text in various sizes, which the patient will be asked to read from a standard short distance (usually around 14 inches). The Jaeger card is different from the Snellen chart, which is used to determine visual acuity at a distance, often 20 feet. The Snellen chart presents lines of text that decrease in size, and the smallest line that a person with normal vision should be able to read at that distance corresponds to a visual angle of five minutes of an arc. The Ishihara chart is not designed to test near vision but to assess color perception, specifically for color blindness, where individuals discern numbers in a field of varying colored dots. Lastly, the confrontation test is utilized to determine the boundaries of peripheral vision, not near vision.