A home health nurse is teaching an older client who just had cataract surgery

A cataract is the gradually developing opacity of the of the lens or lens capsule of the eye. It is the most common cause of correctable vision, loss. Cataracts commonly occur bilaterally, with each progression independently. The prognosis is generally good and surgery improves vision in 95% of affected people.

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1. Disturbed Sensory Perception: Visual
Disturbed Sensory Perception: Visual
1. Disturbed Sensory Perception: Visual
Recommended Resources
Which technique would the nurse discuss with a client who has a detached retina and is scheduled for surgery to reattach the retina?
Which of the following will you include when teaching the mother of a 2 year old how to administer ear drops?
What activities will the nurse tell the client to avoid after cataract surgery?

Treatment of cataract consists of surgical extraction of the cataractous lens opacity and intraoperative correction of visual deficits. The current trend is to perform the surgery as a same-day procedure. Nursing care revolves around patient education before and after surgery and providing safety.

Here are two (2) nursing care plans (NCP) and nursing diagnosis for patients with cataracts:

Disturbed Sensory Perception: Visual
Risk for Injury

1. Disturbed Sensory Perception: Visual

Disturbed Sensory Perception: Visual

Nursing Diagnosis

Disturbed Sensory Perception

May be related to

Cataracts
Poor visual acuity
Changes in the eyes due to aging

Possibly evidenced by

Visual distortions
Loss of vision
Diminished visual acuity
Photophobia
Night blindness
Myopia
Presbyopia
Accommodation changes
Changes in usual response to stimuli
Presence of cataract

Desired Outcomes

Patient will regain optimal vision possible and will adapt to permanent visual changes
Patient will be able to verbalize understanding of visual loss and diseases of eyes.
Patient will be able to regain vision to the maximum possible extent with the surgical procedure.
Patient will be able to deal with the potential for permanent visual loss.
Patient will maintain a safe environment with no injury noted.
Patient will be able to use adaptive devices to compensate for visual loss.
Patient will be compliant with instructions given, and will be able to notify physician for emergency symptoms.

Nursing Interventions	Rationale
Assess the patient’s ability to see and perform activities.	Provides a baseline for determination of changes affecting the patient’s visual acuity.
Encourage patient to see an ophthalmologist at least yearly.	Can monitor progressive visual loss or complications. Decreases in visual acuity can increase confusion in the elderly patient.
Provide sufficient lighting for the patient to carry out activities.	Elderly patients need twice as much light as younger people.
Provide lighting that avoids glare on surfaces of walls, reading materials, and so forth.	Elderly patient’s eyes are more sensitive to glare and cataracts diffuse and glare so that the patient has more difficulty with vision.
Provide night light for the patient’s room and ensure lighting is adequate for the patient’s needs.	Patient’s eyes may require longer accommodation time to changes in lighting levels. Provision of adequate lighting helps to prevent injury.
Prepare patient for cataract surgery as warranted.	Provides knowledge, and facilitates compliance with the regimen.
Instruct patient regarding normal age-related visual changes, cataracts, and methods of dealing with visual acuity changes.	Helps increase the patient’s understanding of visual changes and to make informed choices about options as the patient ages, the lens becomes denser and has less elasticity thus accommodation is decreased.Presbyopia is an age-related change that begins in people who are in their 40s and progresses. Visual acuity changes occur as the eye becomes more hyperopic as a result of neurologic changes in the visual pathways of the brain. The ability to distinguish fine details decreases because of the loss of neurons in the visual pathways in the brain. Vitreous humor changes related to aging occur and consist of haziness, vertical flashing lights, line spots, or clusters of moving dots. The ability to differentiate colors also decreases with age because the cones that are responsible for color vision decline in sensitivity. In patients over 60, the lens may become yellowed from age, which results in blue objects appearing gray. Visual field decreases by approximately 1-3 inches per decade after 50.
Provide large print objects and visual aids for teaching.	Assists patient to see larger print and promotes a sense of independence.
If surgery is planned, instruct patient and/or family regarding procedure, post-procedure care, and the need for follow-up with the physician. Instruct about complications and emergency signs and symptoms (flashing lights with loss of vision, seeing a “veil” falling over visual field, loss of vision in a specific portion of the visual field, etc.) of which to notify the physician.	Prepares the patient for what to expect, facilitate compliance, and provides instruction about potential problems to lessen anxiety.

1. Disturbed Sensory Perception: Visual

Recommended Resources

Recommended nursing diagnosis and nursing care plan books and resources.

Disclosure: Included below are affiliate links from Amazon at no additional cost from you. We may earn a small commission from your purchase. For more information, check out our privacy policy.

Nursing Care Plans: Nursing Diagnosis and Intervention (10th Edition)
This an awesome book to help you create and customize effective nursing care plans. We highly recommend this book for its completeness and ease of use.
Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions and Rationales
A quick-reference tool to easily select the appropriate nursing diagnosis to plan your patient’s care effectively.
NANDA International Nursing Diagnoses: Definitions & Classification, 2021-2023 (12th Edition)
The official and definitive guide to nursing diagnoses as reviewed and approved by the NANDA-I. This book focuses on the nursing diagnostic labels, their defining characteristics, and risk factors – this does not include nursing interventions and rationales.
Nursing Diagnosis Handbook, 12th Edition Revised Reprint with 2021-2023 NANDA-I® Updates
Another great nursing care plan resource that is updated to include the recent NANDA-I updates.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5(TM))
Useful for creating nursing care plans related to mental health and psychiatric nursing.
Ulrich & Canale’s Nursing Care Planning Guides, 8th Edition
Claims to have the most in-depth care plans of any nursing care planning book. Includes 31 detailed nursing diagnosis care plans and 63 disease/disorder care plans.
Maternal Newborn Nursing Care Plans (3rd Edition)
If you’re looking for specific care plans related to maternal and newborn nursing care, this book is for you.
Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care (7th Edition)
An easy-to-use nursing care plan book that is updated with the latest diagnosis from NANDA-I 2021-2023.
All-in-One Nursing Care Planning Resource: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Maternity, and Psychiatric-Mental Health (5th Edition)
Definitely an all-in-one resource for nursing care planning. It has over 100 care plans for different nursing topics.

Nursing Care Plans (NCP): Ultimate Guide and Database MUST READ!
Over 150+ nursing care plans for different diseases and conditions. Includes our easy-to-follow guide on how to create nursing care plans from scratch.
Nursing Diagnosis Guide and List: All You Need to Know to Master Diagnosing
Our comprehensive guide on how to create and write diagnostic labels. Includes detailed nursing care plan guides for common nursing diagnostic labels.

Other ophthalmic nursing care plans:

Cataracts | 2 Care Plans
Glaucoma | 3 Care Plans
Macular Degeneration | 2 Care Plans

Matt Vera is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science in nursing since 2009 and is currently working as a full-time writer and editor for Nurseslabs. During his time as a student, he knows how frustrating it is to cram on difficult nursing topics. Finding help online is nearly impossible. His situation drove his passion for helping student nurses by creating content and lectures that are easy to digest. Knowing how valuable nurses are in delivering quality healthcare but limited in number, he wants to educate and inspire nursing students. As a nurse educator since 2010, his goal in Nurseslabs is to simplify the learning process, break down complicated topics, help motivate learners, and look for unique ways of assisting students in mastering core nursing concepts effectively.

Which technique would the nurse discuss with a client who has a detached retina and is scheduled for surgery to reattach the retina?

Pneumatic retinopexy is a procedure to repair a detached retina and restore vision. Unlike other procedures to treat a detached retina, it often takes place in an office setting.

Which of the following will you include when teaching the mother of a 2 year old how to administer ear drops?

If your child is younger than 3 years: Gently pull and hold your child's ear down and back. If your child is older than 3 years: Gently pull and hold your child's ear up and back. Gently squeeze the bottle to drop the correct number of drops into your child's ear.