Question

During an ophthalmologic examination a patient's red reflex was absent from the left eye.

This finding places the patient at risk for which complication?
1.Injury
2.Impaired comfort
3.Ineffective eye movement
4.Ineffective protection

Answer 1

The absence of the red reflex from the left eye during an ophthalmologic examination is indicative of potential underlying problems such as oculomotor nerve damage and places the patient at risk for ineffective eye movement.

Step-by-step explanation:

During an ophthalmologic examination, the absence of a red reflex from the left eye can be a sign of several conditions, from a harmless congenital cataract to more serious issues like retinal detachment or a tumor. When a light is shone into one eye, it normally causes a bilateral pupillary constriction, meaning both pupils constrict simultaneously due to the pupillary light reflex. If shining light in the right eye only causes the left pupil to constrict, it suggests damage to the right oculomotor nerve (or Edinger-Westphal nucleus). This scenario indicates that the direct reflex is lost while the consensual reflex is intact on the right side.

Consequently, this finding of an absent red reflex places the patient at risk for ineffective eye movement due to potential underlying nerve damage or other ocular problems. Specifically, the patient may develop issues such as internuclear ophthalmoplegia, which can result in diplopia or double vision, as the eyes may fail to move in perfect conjugation.

Therefore, the absent red reflex from the left eye puts the patient at particular risk for complication number 3: Ineffective eye movement.