Objective Assessment

An objective assessment is usually completed after the subjective assessment, but if the client shows signs of clinical deterioration, you may proceed directly to the objective assessment and associated interventions. In this case, it is important to prioritize care after a brief scan that involves components of the primary survey.

An objective assessment of the ophthalmic system includes:

• Brief scan of the ophthalmic system.
• External eye assessment.
• Visual acuity assessment.
• Peripheral vision assessment.
• Extraocular eye movement assessment.
• Ophthalmoscope examination.

Assessments of most components of the ophthalmic system don’t require touching the eye, but in some cases you may need to palpate areas around the eye or closely observe conditions that are transmissible such as conjunctivitis: if so, wear gloves and attend to infection prevention and control measures.