A nurse develops a plan of care for a child that includes patching the eye. This plan of care would be most appropriate for which condition?

Choice A rationale Astigmatism is an irregular curvature of the cornea or lens, which causes light rays to focus unevenly on the retina, resulting in distorted or blurred vision at any distance. The primary treatment for astigmatism is the use of corrective lenses, such as eyeglasses or contact lenses, not therapeutic eye patching. Choice B rationale Hyperopia, or farsightedness, occurs when the light focuses behind the retina because the eyeball is too short or the cornea is too flat, causing difficulty seeing objects up close. This condition is primarily managed by prescribing convex corrective lenses to help shift the focal point onto the retina. Choice C rationale Myopia, or nearsightedness, occurs when the light focuses in front of the retina because the eyeball is too long or the cornea is too steep, causing blurry distance vision. The standard treatment involves concave corrective lenses to diverge light rays and properly position the focal point on the retina. Choice D rationale Amblyopia, commonly called "lazy eye," is a reduction in visual acuity in one eye that results from the eye and brain not working well together, often caused by untreated strabismus or refractive errors. Patching the strong eye forces the brain to use the weaker, amblyopic eye, stimulating the development of the neural pathways necessary for clear vision.