The ability to detect changes in the environment is critical
to survival. The human body has various organs for this purpose.
The nose senses odors in the environment, the tongue
senses tastes, and the eyes are important for visual sense.
The ears serve two functions-hearing and equilibrium.
Each of these special senses works in concert with the
nervous system to assist the body in coping with environmental
changes experienced throughout the day. A medical
assistant should understand the special senses in order
to test distance and near visual acuity, color vision, and
hearing. Knowledge of the anatomy of the eye and ear is
essential when performing irrigation or instillation of these
structures.
|