To test a patient's ability to perceive various types of sensation, the patient's eyes should be:

When assessing a patient's ability to perceive various types of sensation, having the patient's eyes closed is essential. This approach minimizes visual cues that could influence their sensory perception and response. By closing their eyes, the patient is less likely to rely on sight to identify sensations, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of their ability to feel touch, temperature, and pain.

When the eyes are open, patients could potentially anticipate sensory stimuli based on what they see, which might lead to a biased response to the testing. Similarly, focusing on the provider or a pen light would emphasize visual perception over other sensory modalities, further skewing the assessment. Thus, keeping the eyes closed effectively isolates the sense being tested, providing a clearer picture of the patient's sensory capabilities.