Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT) Practice Exam

If a patient has a restricted RMR, what will the right eye not do on duction testing?

1. Adduct

2. Abduct

3. Elevate

4. Depress

The correct answer is: Abduct

When evaluating duction testing in the context of a patient with a restricted RMR (right medial rectus muscle), it is essential to understand the functional role of the medial rectus muscle in eye movement. The medial rectus is primarily responsible for adduction, which is the inward movement of the eye towards the nose. In a case where there is a restriction in the right medial rectus, the right eye would exhibit limited capacity to perform adduction. Therefore, during duction testing, the right eye would have difficulty moving inward. This limitation implies that the right eye would abduction, or move outward away from the midline, as it could demonstrate less restriction in that direction compared to the adduction movement. Hence, the correct response to what the right eye cannot do on duction testing is abduction, as the eye is primarily restricted by the affected RMR. Understanding this concept clarifies how muscle restrictions can affect eye positioning and movement, which is crucial in ophthalmic assessments.