Certified Ophthalmic Medical Technologist (COMT) Practice Exam

In the Worth 4-dot test, what does seeing five lights with the red lights below the green indicate?

1. Suppression

2. Diplopia; right hyper deviation

3. Phoria

4. Normal binocular vision

The correct answer is: Diplopia; right hyper deviation

Seeing five lights in the Worth 4-dot test, with the red lights located below the green lights, indicates diplopia, specifically right hyper deviation. In this test, a patient is asked to look through a special light device that displays colored dots: red and green. The interpretation of the number of dots and their arrangement provides insights into the patient's visual alignment and binocular function. When a person sees five lights, it means that one eye is perceiving additional images due to misalignment. The presence of red lights (usually indicating the right eye) appearing below the green lights (from the left eye) suggests that the right eye is deviating upwards. This specific scenario confirms that the patient is experiencing diplopia, which is a condition characterized by double vision resulting from issues with eye alignment, in this case indicating right eye hyper deviation. Understanding this framework is crucial, as it provides valuable information regarding potential strabismus or other binocular vision disorders that could affect the patient’s sight in daily activities.