The Language of Medicine: Chapter 17: Sense Organs: The Eye and the Ear

aque/o (combining form)

water

blephar/o (combining form)

eyelid

conjunctiv/o (combining form)

conjunctiva

cor/o (combining form)

pupil

corne/o (combining form)

cornea

cycl/o (combining form)

ciliary body or muscle of the eye

dacry/o (combining form)

tears, tear duct

ir/o, irid/o (combining form)

iris (colored portion of the eye around the pupil)

kerat/o (combining form)

cornea

lacrim/o (combining form)

tears

ocul/o (combining form)

eye

ophthalm/o (combining form)

eye

opt/o, optic/o (combining form)

eye, vision

palpebr/o (combining form)

eyelid

papill/o (combining form)

optic disc; nipple-like

phac/o, phak/o

lens of the eye

pupill/o (combining form)

pupil

retin/o (combining form)

retina

scler/o (combining form)

sclera (white of the eye); hard

uve/o (combining form)

uvea; vascular layer of the eye (iris, ciliary body, and choroid)

vitre/o (combining form)

glassy

ambly/o (combining form)

dull, dim

dipl/o (combining form)

double

glauc/o (combining form)

gray

mi/o (combining form)

smaller, less

mydr/o (combining form)

widen, enlarge

nyct/o (combining form)

night

phot/o (combining form)

light

presby/o (combining form)

old age

scot/o (combining form)

darkness

xer/o (combining form)

dry

-opia (suffix)

vision

-opsia (suffix)

vision

-tropia (suffix)

to turn

acous/o (combining form)

hearing

audi/o (combining form)

hearing; the sense of hearing

audit/o (combining form)

hearing

aur/o, auricul/o (combining form)

ear

cochle/o (combining form)

cochlea

mastoid/o (combining form)

mastoid process

myring/o (combining form)

eardrum, tympanic membrane

ossicul/o

ossicle

ot/o (combining form)

ear

salping/o (combining form)

eustachian tube, auditory tube

staped/o (combining form)

stapes (third bone of the middle ear)

tympan/o (combining form)

eardrum, tympanic membrane

vestibul/o (combining form)

vestibule

-acusis or -cusis (suffix)

hearing

-meter (suffix)

instrument to measure

-otia (suffix)

ear condition

Describe/define cornea

Fibrous transparent layer of clear tissue that extends over the anterior portion of the eyeball.

Yellowish region in the retina; contains fovea centralis

Macula

Eye structure that is transparent, biconvex, and focuses light on the retina

Lens

Fungal infection of the ear

Otomycosis

Presbycusis

Age related hearing loss

Visual examination of the ear

Otoscopy

Place where the optic nerve fibers cross the brain

Optic chiasma

Accommodation

Normal adjustment of the eye to focus on objects from far to near. The ciliary body adjusts the lens (rounding it) and the pupil constricts. When the eye focuses from near to far, the ciliary body flattens the lens and the pupil dilates.

Photosensitive receptor cells of the retina; make the perception of color possible

Cone

Tinnitus

Sensation of noises (ringing, buzzing, whistling, booming) in the ears

Bacterial infection of the middle ear

Suppurative otitis media

myring/o

Eardrum, tympanic membrane

Combining form for cornea

corne/o, kerat/o

Cycl/o

Ciliary body or muscle of the eye

Combining form for eyelid

blephar/o, palpebr/o

Describe/define eustachian tube

Auditory tube

Snail-shaped, spirally wound tube in the inner ear

Cochlea

Chalazion

Small, hard, cystic mass (granuloma) on the eyelid

Another term for pinkeye

Conjunctivitis

Visual impairment due to old age

Presbyopia

Another name for nearsightedness

Myopia

What does macular degeneration produce?

Progressive damage to the yellowish region on the retina (lateral to and slightly below the optic disc)

A blindspot; area of depressed vision surrounded by an area of normal vision

Scotoma

How is glaucoma primarily diagnosed?

Tonometry

Astigmatism

Defective curvature of the cornea or lens of the eye

anisocoria (dictation)

A condition in which the pupils are unequal in size

aqueous humor (dictation)

Fluid produced by the ciliary body and found in the anterior chamber

astigmatism (dictation)

Defective curvature of the cornea or lens of the eye

cataract (dictation)

Clouding of the lens, causing decreased vision

conjunctiva (dictation)

Delicate membrane lining the undersurface of the eyelids and covering the anterior eyeball

cycloplegia (dictation)

Paralysis of the ciliary muscle of the eye

diplopia (dictation) (spelled wrong in paper)

Double vision

fluorescein angiography (dictation)

Intravenous injection of fluorescein (a dye) followed by serial photographs of the retina through dilated pupils

hemianopsia (dictation)

Absence of vision in half of the visual field

keratitis (dictation)

Inflammation of the cornea

macular degeneration (dictation)

Progressive damage to the macula of the retina

myopia (dictation)

Nearsightedness

ophthalmoscopy (dictation)

Visual examination of the interior of the eye

presbyopia (dictation)

Impairment of vision as a result of old age

strabismus (dictation)

Crossed eyes

acoustic neuroma (dictation)

Benign tumor arising from the acoustic vestibulocochlear nerve (eighth cranial nerve) in the brain

audiometer (dictation)

Testing the sense of hearing

cerumen (dictation)

Waxy substance secreted by the external ear; also called earwax

cochlea (dictation)

Snail-shaped, spirally wound tube in the inner ear; contains hearing-sensitive receptor cells

eustachian tube (dictation)

Auditory tube

labyrinth (dictation)

Maze-like series of canals of the inner ear. This includes the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals.

myringotomy (dictation)

Incision into the tympanic membrane (eardrum)

otolaryngologist (dictation)

Surgical doctor of ear, nose, and throat disorders

otomycosis (dictation)

Fungal infection of the ear

otitis media (dictation)

Inflammation of the inner ear