Term | Definition |
vestibule | a chamber that joins the cochlea and semicircular canals |
equilibrium | a state of balance, controlled by the semicircular canals and the vestibule |
eustachian tube | a tube which connects the nose and the throat within the cavity of the middle ear |
cerumen | a waxy secretion produced by the glands of the external ear canal to prevent the entrance of tiny foreign particles |
refractive | ability to bend light rays as they pass from one medium to another |
epiphora | abnormal overflow of tears |
glaucoma | accumulation of aqueous humour in the eye |
accommodation | adjustment of the eye for various distances so that the images fall on the retina of the eye |
cycloplegic agents | agents which paralyze ciliary muscles, causing dilation of the pupils |
ametropia | an error in refraction causing poor focus |
retinopathy | any disorder of retinal blood vessels |
humor | any fluid or semifluid of the body |
conduction impairment | blocking of sound waves as they pass through the external and middle ear |
retinitis pigmentosa | chronic progressive disease of degeneration of the retina and atrophy of the optic nerve |
trachoma | chronic, contagious form of conjunctivitis common the southwestern US that typically leads to blindness |
acuity | clearness or sharpness of a sensory function |
anacusis | complete deafness; aka anacusia |
NIHL noise-induced hearing loss | condition caused by the destruction of hair cells, the organs responsible for hearing, caused by sounds that are "too long, too loud or too close" |
strabismus | condition in which one eye is misaligned with the other or out of synchrony |
ophthalmic decongestants | constrict the small arterioles of the eye, decreasing redness and relieving conjunctival congestion |
otoplasty | corrective surgery for a deformed or excessively large or small pinna (ear) |
blepharoplasty | cosmetic surgery tat removes the fatty tissue above and below the eyes that commonly form as a result of the aging process or excessive exposure to the sun |
dacryocystorhinostomy | creation of an opening into the nose for draining of tears |
antiglaucoma agents | decrease aqueous humor production by constricting the pupil to open the angle between the iris and cornea |
astigmatism | defective curvature of the cornea or lens |
corectasis | dilations of the pupil |
otophyorrhea | discharge of puss from the ear |
meniere disease | disorder of the labyrinth that leads to progressive loss of hearing |
diabetic rentinopathy | disorder that occurs in patients with diabetes and is manifested by small hemorrhages, edema, and formation of new vessels on the retina, leading to scarring and eventual loss of vision |
mydriatics | disrupt parasympathetic nerve supply to the eye or stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, causing the pupil to dilate |
otalgia | ear pain |
fluorescein angiography | evaluation of blood vessels and their leakage in and beneath the retina after injection of fluorescein dye, which circulates while photographs of the vessels within the eye are obtained |
tonometry | evaluation of the intraocular pressure by measuring the resistance of the eyeball to indentation by an applied force |
retinoscopy | evaluation of refractive errors of the eye by projecting a light into the eyes and determining the movement of reflected light rays |
tuning fork test | evaluation of sound conduction using a vibrating tuning fork |
ectropion | eversion or outward turning of the edge of the lower eyelid |
gonioscopy | examination of the angle of the anterior chamber of the eye to determine ocular mobility and rotation and diagnose and manage glaucoma |
iridectomy | excision of the iris |
hyperopia | farsightedness |
dacryorrhea | flow of tears |
perilymph | fluid that very closely resembles spinal fluid but found in the cochlea |
ear irrigation | flushing of the ear canal with water or saline to dislodge foreign bodies or impacted cerumen |
cyclodialysis | formation of an opening between the anterior chamber and the suprachoroidal space for the draining of aqueous humor in glaucoma |
otosclerosis | hardening of the spongy bone around the oval window of the ear, causing hearing loss |
audition | hearing |
nyctalopia | impaired vision in dim light; also called night blindness |
presbyacusis | impairment of hearing resulting from old age; also called presbyacusia |
radial keratotomy (RK) | incision of the cornea for treatment of nearsightedness or astigmatism |
otitis externa | infection of the external auditory canal |
conjunctivitis | inflammation of the conjunctiva with vascular congestion, producing a red or pink eye and may be secondary to allergy or viral, bacterial, or fungal infections |
eustachitis | inflammation of the eustachian tube |
labyrinthitis | inflammation of the inner ear that usually results from an acute febrile (fever with a seizure) process |
iritis | inflammation of the iris |
otitis media | inflammation of the middle ear |
aphthalmic antibiotics | inhibit growth of microorganisms that infect the eye |
pressure-equalizing (PE) tube | insertion of tubes through the tympanic membrane, commonly used to treat chronic otitis media; also called tympanostomy tubes |
entropion | inversion or inward turning of the edge of the lower eyelid |
esotropia | inward turning of the eye(s) |
tunic | layer or coat of tissue; also called membrane layer |
amblyopia | lazy eye syndrome |
photopigment | light-sensitive pigment in the retinal cones and rods that absorbs light and initiates the visual process; also called visual pigment |
hordeolum | localized, circumscribed, inflammatory swelling of one of the several sebaceous glands of the eyelid, generally caused by a bacterial infection; also called a stye |
wax emulsifiers | loosen and help remove impacted cerumen |
presbyopia | loss of accommodation of the crystalline lens associated with the aging process |
asnosmia | loss of sense of smell |
audiometry | measurement of hearing acuity at various sound wave frequencies |
ophthalmodynamometry | measurement of the blood pressure of the retinal vessels |
electronystagmography (ENG) | method of assessing and recording eye movements by measuring by measuring the electrical activity of the extraocular muscles |
phacoemulsification | method of treating cataracts by using ultrasonic waves to disintegrate a cloudy lens, which is then aspirated and removed |
ciliary muscles | muscles which relax or contract to alter the shape of the lens, making it thicker or thinner, thus enabling the light rays to foucs upon the retina |
mastoid process | one of the temporal bones which encloses the sinuses |
stapes | one of the three bones of the middle ear, shaped like stirrups |
malleus | one of the 3 bones of the middle ear, shaped like a hammer |
incus | one of the 3 bones of the middle ear, shaped like an anvil |
semicircular canals | one of the 3 structures of the inner ear; responsible for balance |
optometrist | one who specializes in eye measurements |
cataracts | opacities on the lens or the capsule that encloses the lens, causing loss of vision |
exotropia | outward turning of the eye(s) |
opthalmoplegia | paralysis of the eye |
visual acuity (VA) | part of an eye examination that determines the smallest letters that can be read on a standardized chart at a distance of 20 feet |
tinnitus | perception of ringing, hissing, or other sounds in the ears or head when no external sound is present |
lacrimal | pertaining to tear |
olfactory | pertaining to smell |
cochlear implant insertion | placement of an artificial hearing device that produces hearing sensations by electrically stimulating nerves inside the inner ear; also called bionic ear |
pneumatic otoscopy | procedure that assesses the ability of the tympanic membrane to move in response to a change in air pressure |
blepharoptosis | prolapse of the eyelid |
otic analgesics | provide temporary relief from pain and inflammation associated with otic disorders |
dacryocystography | radiographic imaging prodedures |
tympanoplasty | reconstruction of the eardrum, commonly due to perforation; also called myringoplasty |
evisceration | removal of the contents of the eye while leaving the sclera and cornea intact |
enucleation | removal of the eyeball from the orbit |
vertigo | sensation of a spinning motion either of oneself or of the surroundings |
labyrinthitis | series of intricate communicating passages |
achronatopsia | severe congenital deficiency in colour perception; also called complete colour blindness |
ear canal | slender tube lined with glands, through which sound waves travel to the middle ear |
chalazion | small, hard tumour developing on the eyelid, somewhat similar to a sebaceous cyst |
cochlea | snail-shaped inner ear structure |
ophthalmic moisturizers | soothe dry eyes due to environmental irritants and allergens |
slit-lamp examination (SLE) | stereoscopic magnified view of the anterior eye structures in detail, which includes the cornea, lens, iris, sclera, and vitreous humor |
opague | substance or surface that neither transmits nor allows the passage of light |
sclerostomy | surgical formation of an opening in the sclera |
mastoid antrotomy | surgical opening of a cavity within the mastoid process |
keratocentesis | surgical puncture of the cornea |
papilledema | swelling and hyperemia of the optic disc, usually assocated with increased intracranial pressure; also called choked disc |
gustation | taste |
caloric stimulation test | test that uses a different water temperatures to assess the vestibular portion of the nerve nerve of the inner ear to determine if nerve damage is the cause of the vertigo |
cornea | the clear, transparent portion of the sclera, anterior to the lens |
sclera | the white of the eye, composed of a tough, fibrous tissue which serves as a protective shield for the more sensitive structures underneath |
ossicles | three tiny articulating bones in the middle ear |
hairs of Corti | tiny nerve ending within the cochlea which combine with cochlear fluid to generate nerve impulses to the brain via the auditory nerve |
adnexa | tissues or structures in the body adjacent to or near related structure |
antiemetics | treat and prevent nausea, vomiting, dissiness, and vertigo by reducing the sensitivity of the inner ear to motion or inhibiting stimuli from reaching the part of the brain that triggers nausea and vomiting |
weber | tuning fork test that evaluates bone conduction of sound in both ears at the same time |
rinne (test) | tuning fork test that evaluates bone conduction versus air conduction of sound |
nystagmus | type of involuntary eye movements that appear jerky and may reduce vision or be associated with other, more serious conditions that limit vision |
photophobia | unusual intolerance and sensitivity to light |
intracapsular extraction | use to cold metal probe to remove cataracts |
metamorphopsia | visual distortion of objects |
otoscopy | visual examination of the external auditory canal and the tympanic membrane using an otoscope |
aphthalmoscopy | visual examiniation of the interior of the eye using a hand-held instrument called an ophthalmoscope, which has various adjustable lenses for magnification and a light source to illuminate the interior of the eye |