Review of Eye and Ear Disorders

Vocabulary flashcards for key terms related to eye and ear disorders.

Miosis

Contraction of the pupil, normally in response to light, but can be seen with drugs.

Glaucoma

Diseases with increased intraocular pressure, damaging retinal nerve fibers and optic nerve; can cause blindness if untreated.

Macular Degeneration

Gradual and progressive damage to the macula at the center of the retina, resulting in loss of central vision.

Age-related macular degeneration

Macular degeneration that occurs more in older people and is the leading cause of vision loss in those over 60.

Dry macular degeneration

Slow deterioration of the cells of the macula, accounting for about 90% of all forms of the disease.

Wet macular degeneration

Advanced form of macular degeneration where new blood vessels grow under the retina, leak blood and fluid, damaging retinal cells, leading to severe vision loss.

Diplopia

Medical term for double vision, where a person perceives two images of a single object; can indicate a severe underlying brain problem.

Hemianopia

Blindness in one-half of the visual field.

Photophobia

Excessive sensitivity to light.

Presbyopia

Common changes in the eyes that occur with aging, including near vision decline and increased difficulty focusing.

Strabismus

Disorder where the eyes point in different directions or are not aligned correctly due to eye muscle issues.

Esotropia

Strabismus where there is an inward deviation of one or both eyes.

Exotropia

Strabismus where there is an outward deviation of one eye relative to the other.

Refractive disorders

Focusing problem when the lens and cornea do not bend light correctly, leading to improperly focused images on the retina.

Myopia

Medical term for nearsightedness where light rays focus in front of the retina.

Hyperopia

Medical term for farsightedness where light rays focus beyond the retina.

Astigmatism

Uneven curvature of the cornea prohibiting the eye from focusing properly.

Ametropia

General term referring to any error of refraction.

Blindness

Inability to see; legal definition varies by law.

Impacted cerumen

Accumulation of earwax forming a solid mass inside the external auditory canal.

Otorrhagia

Bleeding from the ear.

Otorrhea

Discharge from the ear.

Otopyorrhea

Discharge of pus from the ear.

Otomycosis

Fungal infection of the external auditory canal.

Otitis

Inflammation of the ear.

Otalgia

Medical term for an earache, or pain in the ear.

Otitis media

Inflammation of the middle ear.

Mastoiditis

Inflammation of part of the mastoid bone, often caused by acute otitis media spreading to the bone.

Cholesteatoma

Epidermal cyst in the middle ear or mastoid process.

Infectious myringitis

Inflammation leading to painful blisters on the eardrum, associated with a middle ear infection.

Barotrauma

Pressure-related ear condition caused by pressure changes when flying, diving, or due to a blocked eustachian tube.

Vertigo

Sense of dizziness and loss of balance, often including nausea and vomiting.

Ménière's disease

Chronic disorder where the amount of fluid in the inner ear increases intermittently, causing attacks of vertigo, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

Tinnitus

Condition of a ringing, buzzing, or roaring sound in one or both ears.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

Common cause of vertigo occurring when there is a sudden shift in the location of small crystals in the semicircular canals.

Acoustic neuroma

Brain tumor that develops adjacent to the cranial nerve.

Deafness

Complete or partial loss of the ability to hear.

Presbycusis

Gradual loss of sensorineural hearing occurring with age.

Conductive hearing loss

Deafness caused by the prevention of sound waves passing from the air to the fluid-filled inner ear; blockage could be ear wax, infection, fluid, etc.

Sensorineural hearing loss

Nerve deafness resulting from damage to the auditory nerve or hair cells because of age, noise exposure, or acoustic neuroma.

Noise-induced hearing Loss (NIHL)

Nerve deafness caused by repeated exposure to very loud noises.