Ophthalmic Assistant

Answer: C - double vision will persist when one eye is covered.

If a patient is suffering from monocular diplopia, their double vision will persist when covering one eye. Monocular diplopia is rare and could be caused by an extra pupil, cataracts, or may appear in the recovery phase of strabismus repair. It is important for an ophthalmic assistant to make the distinction between monocular and binocular diplopia when taking a patient’s history. A patient with binocular diplopia will report that their double vision is eliminated when covering one eye.