Case Studies Assessment and Management of Patients with Eye and Vision Disorders
1. Ellie Lee, a 74-year-old patient, is admitted to the hospital in the same-day surgery unit for nasal surgery. The patient is legally blind. The patient was diagnosed with a genetic disease, recessive retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which results in degeneration of the photoreceptor cells. A patient with RP has a progressive loss of visual acuity, progressive night blindness, and progressive loss of peripheral vision. The patient's best corrected visual acuity is currently20/200 with a visual field restriction of 12 degrees. The patient bumps into objects in the room and gets disoriented as to the location of the bathroom or the door to the hallway.
What strategies should the nurse provide to help the client with low vision become oriented with the hospital room environment and to maintain as much independence with mobility as possible?