Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) Chapter 15 – Practice Questions and
Answers Study Guide
When assisting a patient who feels faint in the office, what should the ophthalmic medical
assistant do first?
a) Begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
b) Get the emergency chart.
c) Splash water on the patient's face.
d) Get the patient's head below the heart. - correct answer ✔✔d) Get the patient's head below
the heart.
Of the following, which situation should be treated as an emergency requiring immediate
action?
a) recent onset of flashes of light
b) loss of contact lenses needed for work
c) mucous discharge from the eye
d) sudden, painless, severe loss of vision - correct answer ✔✔d) sudden, painless, severe loss of
vision
Generally, urgent situations are those requiring that the patient be seen within what
timeframe?
a) 3 to 6 hours
b) 24 to 48 hours
c) 5 to 7 days
d) 1 to 2 weeks - correct answer ✔✔b) 24 to 48 hours
Answers Study Guide
When assisting a patient who feels faint in the office, what should the ophthalmic medical
assistant do first?
a) Begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
b) Get the emergency chart.
c) Splash water on the patient's face.
d) Get the patient's head below the heart. - correct answer ✔✔d) Get the patient's head below
the heart.
Of the following, which situation should be treated as an emergency requiring immediate
action?
a) recent onset of flashes of light
b) loss of contact lenses needed for work
c) mucous discharge from the eye
d) sudden, painless, severe loss of vision - correct answer ✔✔d) sudden, painless, severe loss of
vision
Generally, urgent situations are those requiring that the patient be seen within what
timeframe?
a) 3 to 6 hours
b) 24 to 48 hours
c) 5 to 7 days
d) 1 to 2 weeks - correct answer ✔✔b) 24 to 48 hours
