Chapter 16 Diseases Affecting Vision and Hearing

Chapter 16  Diseases Affecting Vision and Hearing

Complete Chapter Questions And Answers
 

Sample Questions

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Which of the following diseases affects the eyesight of an older adult by damaging the central part of the retina?
a.
Glaucoma
b.
Presbyopia
c.
Cataract
d.
Macular degeneration

ANS: D
Macular degeneration is a disease characterized by damage to the central part of the retina that leaves the outer edges of the visual field intact. Presbyopia, a gradual decline in the flexibility of the lens, makes close-up focusing more difficult and is a common age-related change but not a disease. Glaucoma, a disease marked by increased pressure within the eye that potentially leads to optic nerve damage, is the most common cause of blindness in those 65 years of age and older. A cataract is a disease marked by clouding and blurring of the lens.

PTS: 1 DIF: Remember REF: 7-8
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: Physiological Integrity

2. Which of the following is used to treat the most common cause of impairment to an older person’s hearing?
a.
Hearing aids
b.
Cochlear implants
c.
Ear canal irrigation
d.
Sign language

ANS: C
Irrigation is used to dissolve and remove impacted cerumen, the most common cause of impaired hearing in older adults. Hearing aids are useful for sensorineural hearing loss, but the most common cause impairing the hearing of older persons is cerumen impaction. Cochlear implants are useful for profound sensorineural deafness, but the most common cause impairing the hearing of older persons is cerumen impaction. Sign language has been used primarily by those who become deaf in childhood or at birth, but it is not considered a treatment.

PTS: 1 DIF: Understand REF: 12 TOP: Nursing Process: Planning
MSC: Physiological Integrity

3. A medical illustration shows a man with the blunt end of a tuning fork pressed to the center of his forehead. The man is being tested for which of the following?
a.
Sensorineural hearing loss
b.
Presbycusis
c.
Tinnitus
d.
Unilateral conductive hearing loss

ANS: D
Weber’s test, in which a vibrating tuning fork is placed on the center of the forehead, detects the differences in hearing between one ear and the other caused by poor sound conduction. During testing, the patient is asked to describe the sensation felt when the tuning fork is activated and then placed on the forehead. If the patient’s hearing by conduction is intact, then he or she will feel vibrations conducted through the bones of the skull from the tuning fork. Weber’s test with the tuning fork is used to detect conductive hearing loss.
Presbycusis affects both ears and has a sensorineural origin. The tuning fork test is used to detect conductive hearing loss in one ear. Tinnitus is a hearing sensation not caused by an actual sound. The tuning fork test is used to detect hearing loss caused by poor sound conduction.

PTS: 1 DIF: Remember REF: 11-13
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: Physiological Integrity

4. Persons with normal age-related sensory changes are likely to have the most difficulty distinguishing which of the following?
a.
Spoken pairs of phrases like “she’s praised” and “fees raised”
b.
Orange towel hanging on a beige wall
c.
“Go” and “to” in lowercase letters in fine print
d.
Spoken word pairs like “cupful” and “capful”

ANS: A
A person with presbycusis has trouble hearing the higher frequencies, where most of the differences between consonant sounds occur. The contrast between a vivid color such as orange and a pale color such as beige can help an older person distinguish objects. The details of the letters may be poorly focused, but their overall shape, relative to the line around them, helps distinguish them. Age-related hearing impairments affect the hearing of consonants more than vowels. A person would have more trouble distinguishing “cupful” and “couple.”

PTS: 1 DIF: Understand REF: 11
TOP: Nursing Process: Assessment MSC: Physiological Integrity