COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES.
Question 1
The function of the auditory ossicles is to:
- Correct Answer: transform sound vibrations into mechanical waves for the inner ear.
Rationale:
The function of the auditory ossicles is to transform sound vibrations into mechanical waves for the inner
ear
Question 2
A 35-year-old patient complains of vertigo accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Examination reveals
bilateral diplopia and an unsteady gait. These symptoms could be suggestive of:
- Correct Answer: a neurological condition.
Rationale:
Vertigo symptoms associated with neurologic conditions include: ataxia, diplopia, and dysarthria.
Symptoms associated with cardiovascular conditions and vertigo include arrhythmias, orthostatic
hypotension, vasovagal stimulation, lightheadedness, weakness, or presyncope.
Question 3
A 60-year-old was concerned about a yellowish colored lesion above her right eyelid. Findings revealed a
slightly raised yellowish, well circumscribed plaque along the nasal area of her right eyelid. This finding is
most consistent with:
- Correct Answer: xanthelasma.
Rationale:
Slightly raised, yellowish, well-circumscribed plaques appearing along the nasal area of one or both eyelids
are consistent with lipid disorders and called xanthelasma. Pinguecula refer to harmless, yellowish,
triangular nodules in the bulbar conjunctiva on either side of the iris. A chalazion is a nontender nodule
usually on the underside of the eyelid. Episcleritis is an ocular inflammation of the episcleral vessels.
Question 4
Assessment of a patient's visual acuity resulted in 20/200 using the Snellen eye chart. This means that:
- Correct Answer: at 20 feet the patient can read printed information that a person with normal vision could
read at 200 feet.
Rationale:
Visual acuity that is corrected to 20/200 constitutes legal blindness. The larger the number under 20, the
worse the visual acuity. If this is a new finding, the patient needs ophthalmologic evaluation.
Question 5
Findings following assessment of a person's left eye gaze include impaired movements when attempting to
look upward, downward, or inward. This condition is most consistent with:
, - Correct Answer: left cranial nerve III (oculomotor) paralysis
Rationale:
With a left cranial nerve III paralysis, upward, downward, or inward movements are impaired. In conjugate
or normal gaze, the normal movement of the two eyes appears simultaneously in the same direction to bring
something into view. With a left cranial nerve VI paralysis, a person's gaze would include eyes conjugate
when looking to the right, esotropia (one or both eyes turn inward) appears in the left eye when looking
straight ahead, and esotropia is maximum in the left eye when looking to the left. The left eye is unable to
look down when turned inward in a left cranial nerve IV paralysis.
Question 6
Findings following assessment of a person's eye gaze include both eyes moving in the same direction
simultaneously. This condition is most consistent with:
- Correct Answer: a conjugate gaze.
Rationale:
In conjugate or normal gaze, the normal movement of the two eyes appears simultaneously in the same
direction to bring something into view. With a left cranial nerve VI paralysis, a person's gaze would include
eyes conjugate when looking to the right, esotropia (one or both eyes turn inward) in the left eye when
looking straight ahead, and esotropia is maximum in the left eye when looking to the left. With a left cranial
nerve III paralysis, upward, downward, or inward movements are impaired. The left eye is unable to look
down when turned inward in a left cranial nerve IV paralysis.
Question 7
A patient was diagnosed as being farsighted. The term for this condition is:
- Correct Answer: hyperopia.
Rationale:
Myopia, nearsightedness, occurs when light rays focus anterior to the retina. Hyperopia, farsightedness,
occurs when light rays focus posterior to the retina. Strabismus, heterotropia, is a condition in which the
eyes are not properly aligned with each other. In astigmatism, light rays do not focus correctly on the retina.
This causes blurriness.
Question 8
A buildup of excess fluid around the periphery of the eye orbits is known as:
- Correct Answer: periorbital edema.
Rationale:
An accumulation of fluid around the periphery of the eye orbits is known as periorbital edema.
Question 9
In order to visualize the opening of Stensen's duct, examine the:
- Correct Answer: buccal mucosa opposite the second molar.
Rationale:
The largest salivary gland is the parotid gland and it lies within the cheeks in front of the ear extending from
the zygomatic arch down to the angle of the jaw. Its duct, Stensen's duct, runs forward to an opening on the
buccal mucosa opposite the second molar. If blood comes out through Stensen's duct when it is palpated,