Patho 15 (disorders of the eyes + ears)

if while in infancy or early childhood visuals impairments are notices, what more than likely happened?

vision did not develop normally (congenital defect)

what is a sign an older child may be visually impaired?

academic performance begins to suffer

how do visual impairments affect adults and elderly?

presents difficulty in daily life activities

what are manifestations of visual impairments?

squinting, closing one eye, tilting the head, redness of eye, excessive tearing, eye rubbing, blurred vision, halos, floaters, headaches, and eye pain

how are visual impairments diagnosed?

looking at family history, opthalamoscopic examination, visual acuity testing, central visual field testing

how do the eyes/ vision change with age?

color vision and discrimination decreased, reduced contrast sensitivity, diminished accommodation, slowing of dark adaption, decreased in ability to discern brightness + colors, development of presbyopia

what is myopia?

nearsightedness: unable to see distant images clearly

what causes myopia?

elongation of the eye which produces an image focused in from of the retina rather than on it

how is myopia corrected?

concave lenses

what vision problems that arise with errors in refraction?

myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, astigmatism

what is hyperopia?

farsightedness: unable to see up close images clearly

what causes hyperopia?

when the eye is shorter than normal ad images are focused behind the retina

how is hyperopia corrected?

convex lenses

what is presbyopia?

a loss in accommodative capacity and inability to see near objects (trouble shifting distance focuses)

how is presbyopia corrected?

reading glasses

what is astigmatism?

distorted views of images due to an irregularity n the curvature of the cornea or lens in the eye

what is an example of astigmatism?

seeing streaks coming off of lights

how is an astigmatism corrected?

lenses of glasses formed in the opposite curvature

what are age-related disorders?

strabismus and amblyompia

what is strabismus?

cross-eyedness due to ocular misalignment

what are signs/ symptoms of strabismus?

squinting and frowning when reading, closing one eye to see, having trouble picking up objects, dizziness, and headache

what is the cause of strabismus?

neuromuscular abnormality caused an abnormal set of fusion mechanisms in the visual system leading to misalignment

what is amblyopia?

poor vision in one or both eyes despite proper use of glasses, altered visual development despite normal-appearing retinal and optic nerve pathways

what causes amblyopia?

untreated stabismus

what is amblyopia characterized by?

decreased visual acuity that cannot be explained by organic causes

what is chronic open-angle glaucoma?

increased ocular pressure due to decreased drainage of aqueous humor caused gradual peripheral vision loss (tunnel-vision)

what is the treatment of chronic-angle glaucoma?

increasing drainage mechanisms using eye drops or laser surgery if needed

what is acute angle closure glaucoma?

when pupils dilate randomly blocking the trabecular meshwork that allows aqueous humor to drain (extremely painful due to increased pressure > 15 mmHg)

what does acute angle closure glaucoma lead to?

decreased blood flow and blockages

what are conductive hearing impairments?

occurs when sound cannot vibrate correctly and reach the cochlea

what causes conductive hearing impairments?

ear wax blockage, foreign object in ear canal, or if part of the conduction pathway is torn

how are conductive hearing impairments corrected?

fluid drainage or removal of blockage (may cause additional trauma)

can conductive hearing impairments be asymptomatic?

yes, or may be painful and cause pus drainage

what are sensorineural hearing impairments?

hearing loss due to an impairment of the organ of corti (neurological component of inner ear)

what are causes of sensorineural hearing impairments?

congenital, aging, menieres disease, ototoxic medications, or trauma

how does trauma cause sensorineural hearing impairments?

chronic repeated exposure to loud sounds >85 dB cause damage to structures of the inner ear

can sensorineural hearing impairments be revered?

no

what are signs of sensorineural hearing impairments?

only being able to hear certain frequencies/ pitches and hearing worsening in noisy environments