National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) Practice Test

A patient with undiagnosed acute angle-closure glaucoma is most likely to present with which of the following chief complaints?

1. Extreme sensitivity to light

2. Redness in one eye

3. Severe headache

4. "I see halos around lights, and my eyes hurt"

The correct answer is: "I see halos around lights, and my eyes hurt"

The correct answer is centered around the characteristic symptoms associated with acute angle-closure glaucoma. Patients often experience the sensation of seeing halos around lights, accompanied by ocular pain. This occurs due to increased intraocular pressure, which affects the ability to focus light entering the eye, leading to the perception of halos. Additionally, the pain associated with this condition is typically severe and may be accompanied by symptoms such as nausea or vomiting, further indicating that the eyes are under distress. The combination of these symptoms—halos, eye pain, and potentially other systemic symptoms—aligns closely with the clinical presentation of acute angle-closure glaucoma. In comparison, extreme sensitivity to light may be a symptom experienced in various ocular conditions, not specific enough to suggest glaucoma alone. Redness in one eye could relate to other issues like conjunctivitis or uveitis, which do not definitively indicate glaucoma. While a severe headache can occur in conjunction with eye problems, it is generally too vague to be a direct indicator of acute angle-closure glaucoma without the specific ocular symptoms that accompany it.