Eyes and Ears Nursing Review Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering anatomy, diagnostic tests, conditions, and procedures for the eyes and ears based on the nursing review module.

Cornea

A transparent, avascular, dome-like structure that serves as the main refracting surface of the eye.

Aqueous Humor

Fluid produced by the ciliary body that nourishes the cornea.

Uvea

Structure consisting of the iris, ciliary body, and choroid.

Iris

The colored part of the eye.

Pupil

A space in the eye that dilates and constricts in response to light.

Lens

A colorless and biconvex structure that enables focusing for near vision and refocusing for distance vision (accommodation).

Choroid

A vascular tissue supplying blood to the portion of the sensory retina closest to it.

Vitreous Humor

Fluid that occupies $\frac{2}{3}$ of the eye's volume and helps maintain the shape of the eye.

Retina

Neural tissue composed of $10$ microscopic layers that acts as an extension of the optic nerve.

Macula

The part of the retina that is responsible for central vision.

Rods

Photoreceptor cells in the retina responsible for night vision.

Cones

Photoreceptor cells in the retina responsible for bright light and color vision.

Snellen Chart

A tool composed of a series of progressively smaller rows of letters used to test distance vision, where $\frac{20}{20}$ is standard normal vision.

Ophthalmoscope

An instrument used to examine the fundus, optic cup, periphery of the retina, and macula.

Slit Lamp

A binocular microscope that examines the eye with a magnification of $10\text{ to }40\text{ times}$ the real image.

Tonometer

An instrument that measures intraocular pressure (IOP) by determining the pressure necessary to indent or flatten a small anterior area of the eye, with a normal range of $10\text{--}21\text{ mmHg}$.

Perimetry

A tool that evaluates the field of vision or the area or extent of physical space visible to an eye in a given position.

Ishihara Color Plate Test

A test used to identify color vision deficits or color-blindness using primary color dots integrated into backgrounds of secondary colors.

Amsler Grid

A diagnostic tool consisting of a geometric grid of identical squares with a central fixation point, used often for patients with macular problems.

Aphakia

The condition of being without a lens.

Astigmatism

An irregularity in the curve of the cornea.

Blindness

A condition where best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ranges from $\frac{20}{400}$.

Legal Blindness

A best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) that does not exceed $\frac{20}{200}$.

Diplopia

Double vision.

Emmetropia

Normal vision.

Hyperopia

Farsightedness.

Myopia

Nearsightedness.

Hyperemia

Red eye.

Nystagmus

Involuntary oscillation of the eyeball.

Proptosis

Downward displacement of the eyeball.

Ptosis

Drooping eyelid.

Papilledema

Swelling of the optic disc.

Strabismus

A condition in which there is a deviation from perfect ocular alignment.

Enucleation

The surgical removal of the entire eye and part of the optic nerve.

Evisceration

Surgical removal of the intraocular contents through an incision or opening in the cornea or sclera.

Exenteration

The surgical removal of the eyelids, the eye, and various amounts of orbital contents.

Blepharitis

An inflammatory reaction of the eyelid margin or seborrheic skin condition usually caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

Hordeolum

An inflammation or infection of the glands and hair follicles of the eyelid margin, commonly referred to as a stye.

Chalazion

A granulomatous (chronic) infection of the meibomian glands.

Conjunctivitis

Inflammation or infection of the bulbar or palpebral conjunctiva, commonly referred to as pink eye.

Keratitis

Corneal ulceration and secondary infection into the cornea resulting from loss of epithelial layers.

Anterior Uveitis

Inflammation involving the iris (iritis) or iris and ciliary body (iridocyclitis).

Intermediate Uveitis

Inflammation of ocular structures posterior to the lens (pars plana or peripheral uveitis).

Posterior Uveitis

Inflammation of the choroid (choroiditis), retina (retinitis), or vitreous near the optic nerve and macula.

Cataract

Clouding or opacity of the crystalline lens that impairs vision.

Intracapsular Extraction

Cataract removal procedure in which the lens as well as the capsule are removed through a small incision.

Extracapsular Extraction

Cataract removal procedure where the lens capsule is incised, and the nucleus, cortex, and anterior capsule are extracted while leaving the posterior capsule in place.

Cryosurgery (Ophthalmic)

A technique using a supercooled metal tip ($-35^\text{o}\text{C}$) touched to the exposed lens, freezing to it so the lens can be lifted out.

Phacoemulsification

A cataract extraction procedure using an ultrasonic device to liquefy the lens nucleus and cortex, which are suctioned out while keeping the posterior capsule intact.

Aphakic Eyeglasses

Lens replacement option post-cataract surgery where objects are magnified by $25\text{\%}$, making them appear closer than they actually are.

Acute (Close Angle) Glaucoma

An ocular emergency caused by obstruction at the access to the trabecular meshwork and canal of Schlemm, leading to rapidly progressive visual impairment and severely elevated intraocular pressure.

Chronic (Open-Angle) Glaucoma

A disorder accounting for $90\text{\%}$ of primary glaucoma cases characterized by increased IOP, optic nerve degeneration, and slow peripheral vision loss while the anterior chamber angle remains open.

Retinal Detachment

Detachment of the sensory area of the retina (rods and cones) from the pigmented epithelium of the retina.

Scleral Buckling

A surgical procedure for retinal detachment where the surgeon compresses the sclera using a buckle or silicone band to bring the retinal layers together.

Pneumatic Retinopexy

A procedure where a gas bubble, silicone oil, or liquid is injected into the vitreous cavity to push the sensory retina against the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE).

Dry Macular Degeneration

A non-neovascular, nonexudative type of macular degeneration where outer retinal layers slowly break down, often associated with drusen.

Wet Macular Degeneration

A neovascular, exudative type of macular degeneration caused by proliferation of abnormal, leaky blood vessels growing under the retina within the choroid layer.

Hyphema

Hemorrhage within the anterior chamber of the eye.

Hemorrhagic Chemosis

Edema of the conjunctiva following ocular trauma.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia

An inflammation created in the uninjured eye by an affected eye that can result in blindness of the uninjured eye.

Auricle

Structure of the external ear that collects sound waves and directs vibrations into the external auditory canal.

External Auditory Canal

A canal approximately $2.5\text{ cm}$ long containing hair, sebaceous glands, and ceruminous glands.

Cerumen

A brown, wax-like substance secreted by ceruminous glands in the external auditory canal.

Tympanic Membrane

A thin, pearly gray, and translucent eardrum about $1\text{ cm}$ in diameter that protects the middle ear and conducts sound vibrations.

Ossicles

The three smallest bones in the body (malleus, incus, stapes) located in the middle ear that assist in sound transmission.

Organ of Corti

The end organ for hearing housed in the cochlea that transforms mechanical energy into neural activity and separates sounds into different frequencies.

Weber Test

An auditory test using bone conduction via a vibrating tuning fork placed on the head or forehead to test lateralization of sound.

Rinne Test

An auditory test comparing air conduction to bone conduction using a vibrating tuning fork shifted between the ear canal opening and the mastoid bone.

Otitis Externa

An inflammation of the external auditory canal, often referred to as swimmer's ear when caused by stagnant water.

Acute Otitis Media

Rapid-onset inflammation and infection of the middle ear caused by pathogens entering through a dysfunctional eustachian tube.

Stapedectomy

Surgical procedure involving removal of the stapes superstructure and part of the footplate with insertion of a tissue graft and prosthesis.

Meniere's Disease

Abnormal inner ear fluid balance caused by malabsorption in the endolymphatic sac or blockage in the endolymphatic duct.

Meniere's Triad

A combination of fluctuating sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus (or roaring sound), and vertigo often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.