Medical assisting Administrative and clinical procedures (5e) Chapter 43 Assisting with eye and ear care

After completing this unit, you should be able to: Describe the medical assistant’s role in eye exams and procedures performed in a medical office, Discuss various eye disorders encountered in a medical office, identify ophthalmic exams performed in the physician’s office, summarize ophthalmologic procedures and treatments,...

Assisting with Eye

and Ear Care

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Learning Outcomes (cont.)

43.1 Describe the medical assistant’s role in

eye exams and procedures performed in a

medical office.

43.2 Discuss various eye disorders

encountered in a medical office.

43.3 Identify ophthalmic exams performed in

the physician’s office.

43.4 Summarize ophthalmologic procedures

and treatments.

Learning Outcomes (cont.)

43.5 Describe the medical assistant’s role in

otology

43.6 Describe disorders of the ear

encountered in the medical office.

43.7 Recall various hearing and other

diagnostic ear tests.

43.8 Summarize ear procedures and

treatments.

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Introduction

• Think how often you use your eyes and ears

• Good eye and ear care is critical

• Ophthalmology and otology

– Disorders

– Exams and procedures

• Specialty of the anatomy, function and

diseases of the eye

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Eye Diseases and Disorders

• Disorders of external eye structures

– Blepharitis ~ chronic inflammation of the eyelid’s

edges – Ptosis ~ droopy upper eyelid

– Sty ~ eyelash follicle infection

Eye Diseases and Disorders (cont.)

• Disorders of structures of the front of the eye

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Eye Diseases and Disorders (cont.)

• Disorders involving internal eye structures

– Cataracts ~ cloudy or

opaque lens

– Glaucoma ~ increased fluid

pressure – Iritis ~ inflammation of the iris

and sometimes the ciliary body

Eye Diseases and Disorders (cont.)

• Disorders of the Retina

– Retinal detachment ~ retina separate from the middle, vascular layer of the eye

– Diabetic retinopathy ~ damage to small blood vessels

supplying the retina – Macular degeneration ~ dark spot in the center of the

field of vision

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Eye Diseases and Disorders (cont.)

• Disorders involving eye movement

– Strabismus

unbalanced muscles

– Amblyopia ~ “Lazy” eye

Eye Diseases and Disorders (cont.)

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Apply Your Knowledge

True or False

An ophthalmologist specializes in treating eyes and

related tissues.

Blepharitis is the result of an eyelash follicle infection.

Viral or bacterial conjunctivitis is not easily spread.

In glaucoma, fluid pressure builds up in the eye.

There is a loss of the vision in the center of the eye

with

retinal detachment.

Presbyopia is related to aging.

Visual defects are the most common eye disorders

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Ophthalmology Exams

Types of Vision Screening Tests

• Includes tests for

– The ability to see clearly

– The ability to distinguish shades

of grey and colors

• Screening

– Snellen chart

– Jaegar chart

– Ishihara book

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Types of Vision Screening Tests (cont.)

• Color vision

– Color-blindness – Retina / optic nerve problems

(Reprinted with permission of Richmond Products, Inc.)

Apply Your Knowledge

Match the following:

used to view the inner eye

measures intraocular pressure

used to examine the anterior

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Ophthalmologic Procedures and

Administering Medications to the Eye

• Purposes

– Assist patients in eye tests

– Reduces pressure in the eye

– Relieves eye pain

– Treats infections

• Medical assistant

– Dispense eye medication

– Patient instructions

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Administering Medications to the

Apply Your Knowledge

When administering eye medications, you

should avoid touching the tip of the dropper or

tube to the eye Why?

ANSWER: Touching the tip of the dropper or

ointment tube can injure the eye, cause

infection, and contaminate the medication.

Excellent!

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– Administer ear medications

– Perform ear irrigations

– Assist with diagnostic tests

Apply Your Knowledge

What are the functions of a medical assistant

related to otology?

ANSWER: The medical assistant may

 Perform auditory screening

 Administer ear medications

 Perform ear irrigations

 Assist with diagnostic tests

HEAR! HEAR!

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Ear Diseases and Disorders

Common Disorders of the Outer Ear

• Pruritus

– Less wax with aging – Mineral oil drops

Common Disorders of the Middle Ear

• Ruptured ear

drum

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Common Disorders of the Inner Ear

• Labyrinthitis

– Infection of labyrinth

– Vertigo

• Ménière’s disease

– Increased fluid in labyrinth

– Vertigo, nausea, and vomiting

Common Disorders of the Inner Ear

• Presbycusis

– Deterioration of sensory receptors in the cochlea

– Aging

• Tinnitus

– Ringing in the ears

– Damage to hearing receptors

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Hearing Loss

• Not a normal aging process

• Types

– Conductive hearing loss ~ sound waves do not

reach the inner ear – Sensorineural hearing loss ~ damage to the inner

ear, nerve, or brain

• Noise pollution

Working with Patients with a

Hearing Impairment

• Speak at a reasonable volume

• Speak clearly, in low-pitched tones

• Stand facing the patient

• Do not over-emphasize lip movements

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Working with Patients with a

Hearing Impairment

• Avoid hand gestures

• Re-state message in short, simple sentences

• Treat patients with patience and respect

Apply Your Knowledge

Arrange disorders properly:

Inner Ear Middle Ear Outer Ear

Cerumen impaction

Ruptured eardrum Mastoiditis

Pruritus

Otitis externa

Otitis media Tinnitus

Presbycusis Otosclerosis Labyrinthitis

Ménière’s Disease

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Hearing and Other Diagnostic Ear Tests

• Medical assistant

– Assist with testing

– Educate patients

• Tuning fork

Hearing and Other Diagnostic Ear

Tests (cont.)

– Measures hearing acuity

– Varies frequency and decibels

• Tympanometry

– Measures eardrum’s ability to move

– Gauges pressure in the middle ear

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Ear Treatments and Procedures

• Medical assistant

– Patient education ~ preventive ear care

– Administer ear medications

– Perform ear irrigations

– Assist with earwax removal

Ear Treatments and Procedures (cont.)

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Ear Treatments and Procedures (cont.)

• Ear irrigation

– Relieve inflammation or

irritation – Loosen and remove impacted

cerumen – Remove foreign body

• Microscopic earwax and foreign body

removal

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Other Devices and Strategies

• If hearing not helped by hearing aid

– Devices that light up as well as ring

– Amplifiers for phone, TV, and radio

– Closed-captioning

• Cochlear implant

– Does not amplify sound

– Stimulates the auditory nerve

Apply Your Knowledge

What is the differences in technique for administering eardrops

to a child or an adult?

ANSWER: To administer eardrops you need to

straighten the ear canal by pulling the auricle upward

and outward for adults, down and back for infants and children

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In Summary

43.1 The medical assistant may perform some

of the procedures that involve measuring

various aspects and functions of the eye, such as visual acuity, color vision, and intraocular pressure

43.2 Disorders of the eye include: those of the

external eye structures, disorders of the anterior eye structures, and refractive disorders.

In Summary

43.3 Ophthalmic exams performed in the

physician’s office include: inspecting internal

eye structures; testing visual fields;

glaucoma testing; inspecting external eye

structures; and refraction exams.

43.4 Ophthalmologic procedures and

treatments include administering eye

medications like eyedrops and ointments,

and performing eye irrigation.

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In Summary

43.5 Medical assistants in an otology office

may assist with or perform auditory screening,

administer ear medications, perform ear irrigations, and help with diagnostic tests such as tympanometry.

43.6 Ear diseases and disorders include: those

of the outer ear, middle ear disorders, and

those of the inner ear

In Summary

43.7 Hearing and other diagnostic ear tests

include audiometry and tympanometry.

43.8 Ear treatments and procedures include

administration of ear medications, ear irrigation, microscope-aided earwax or foreign body removal, hearing aid fitting, and cochlear implants.

© 2014 by McGraw-Hill Education This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use Not authorized for sale or distribution

In fact, try as we may

to make a silence, we

cannot

- John Cage