Question | Answer |
accommodation | Adjustment of the eye for various distances so that images fall on the retina of the eye |
acuity | Clearness or sharpness of a sensory function |
adnexa | Tissues or structures in the body adjacent to or near a related structure (the adnexa of the eye include the extraocular muscles, orbits, eyelids, conjunctiva, and lacrimal apparatus |
articulating | Being loosely joined or connected together to allow motion between the parts |
humor | any fluid or semifluid of the body |
labyrinth | Series of intricate communicating passages (labyrinth of ear includes the cochlea, semicircular canals and vestibule |
opaque | Substance that does not allow the passage of light; not transparent |
perilymph | Fluid that very closely resembles spinal fluid but found in the cochlea |
photopigment | Light-sensitive pigment in the retinal cones and rods that absorbs light and initiates the visual process; also called visual pigment |
refractive | ability to bend light rays as they pass from one medium to another |
tunic | Layer or coat of tissue; also called membrane layer (the fibrous, vascular, and sensory tunics are the three tunics of the eyeball). |
achromatopsia | Severe congenital deficiency in colour perception; also called complete colour blindness |
chalazion | Small, hard tumor developing on the eyelid, somewhat similar to a sebaceous cyst |
conjunctivitis | Inflammation of the conjunctiva with vascular congestion, producing a red or pink eye; may be secondary to viral, bacterial, or fungal infections or allergy |
convergence | medical movement of the two eyeballs so that they are both directed at the object being viewed |
diopter (D) | Measurement of refractive error (when the D value is negative it signifies an eye with myopia. When the D value is positive, it signifies an eye with hyperopia) |
ectropion | eversion, or outward turning, of the edge of the lower eyelid |
emmetropia (Em) | state of normal vision (in emmetropia when the eye is at rest the image is focused directly on the retina) |
entropion | Inversion or inward turning of the edge of the lower eyelid |
epiphora | Abnormal overflow of tears. |
exophthalmos | Protrusion of one or both eyeballs (common causes include hyperactive thyroid, trauma and tumor) |
hordeolum | Localized, circumscribed, inflammatory swelling of one of the several sebaceous glands of the eyelid, generally caused by a bacterial infection; also called stye |
metamorphopsia | Visual distortion of objections. (Metamorphopsia is commonly associated with errors of refraction, retinal disease, choroiditis, detachment of the retina, and tumor of the retina or choroid) |
nyctalopia | Impaired vision in dim light; also called night blindness. (Common causes of nyctalopia include cataracts, vitamin A deficiency, certain medications, and hereditary causes) |
nystagmus | Involuntary eye movements that appear jerky and may reduce vision or be associated with other, more serious conditions that limit vision |
papilledema | Edema and hyperemia of the optic disc usually associated with increased intracranial pressure; also called choked disc |
photophobia | Unusual intolerance and sensitivity to light. (Photophobia commonly occurs in such diseases as meningitis, inflammation of the eyes, measles and rubella) |
presbyopia | Loss of accommodation of the crystalline lens associated with the aging process. |
retinopathy | Any disorder of retinal blood vessels |
diabetic | 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 |
trachoma | chronic, contagious form of conjunctivitis common in the southwestern United States that typically leads to blindness |
visual field | area within which objects may be seen when the eye is in a fixed position |
anacusis | complete deafness; also called anacusia |
conduction impairment | blocking of sound waves as they pass through the external and middle ear (conduction pathway) |
labyrinthitis | imflammation of the inner ear that usually results from an acute febrile process |
Meniere disease | Disorder of the labyrinth that leads to progress loss of hearing |
noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) | 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" |
otitis externa | infection of the external auditory canal |
presbyacusis | impairment of hearing resulting from old age; also called presbyacusia |
pressure-equalizing (PE) tubes | tubes that are inserted through the tympanic membrane, commonly to treat chronic otitis media; also called tympanostomy tubes or ventilation tubes |
tinnitis | perception of ringing, hissing, or other sounds in the ears or head when no external sound is present |
vertigo | hallucination of movement, or a feeling of spinning or dizziness |
audiometry | measurement of hearing acuity at various sound wave frequencies |
caloric stimulation test | test that uses different water temperatures to assess the vestibular portion of the nerve of the inner ear (acoustic nerve) to determine if nerve damage is the cause of vertigo |
electronystagmography (ENG) | method of assessing and recording eye movement by measuring the electrical activity of the extraocular muscles |
ophthalmodynamometry | measurement of the blood pressure of the retinal vessels |
tonometry | evaluation of intraocular pressure by measuring the resistance of the eyeball to indentation by an applied force |
visual acuity | part of an eye examination that determines the smallest letters than can be read on a standardized chart at a distance of 20 feet |
gonioscopy | examination of the angle of the anterior chamber of the eye to determine ocular motility and rotation and diagnose and manage glaucoma |
ophthalmoscopy | Visual examination 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 |
otoscopy | visual examination of the external auditory canal and the tympanic membrane using an otoscope |
pneumatic | procedure that assesses the ability of the tympanic membrane to move in response to a change in air pressure |
retinoscopy | evaluation of refractive errors of the eye by projecting a light into the eyes and determining the movement of reflected light rays |
dacryocystography | Radiographic imaging procedures of the nasolacrimal (tear) glands and ducts |
fluorescein angiography | assesses blood vessels and their leakage in and beneath the retina after injection of fluorescein dye. The dye circulates while photographs of the vessels within the eye are obtained |
orthoptic training | exercises intended to improve eye movement or visual tracking that use training glasses, prism glasses or tinted or coloured lenses |
blepharoplasty | cosmetic surgery that removes fatty tissue above and below the eyes that commonly form as a result of the aging process or excessive exposure to the sun |
cochlear implant | artificial hearing device that produces useful hearing sensations by electrically stimulating nerves inside the inner ear; also called bionic ear |
cyclodialysis | formation of an opening between the anterior chamber and the suprachoroidal space for the draining of aqueous humor in glaucoma |
enucleation | removal from the eyeball from the orbit |
evisceration | removal of the contents of the eye while leaving the sclera and cornea intact |
mastoid antrotomy | surgical opening of a cavity within the mastoid process |
otoplasty | corrective surgery for a deformed or excessively large or small pinna |
phacoemulsification | method of treating cataracts by using ultrasonic waves to disintegrate a cloudy lens, which is then aspirated and removed |
radial keratotomy (RK) | incision of the cornea for treatment of nearsightedness or astigmatism |
sclerostomy | surgical formation of an opening in the sclera |
tuning fork test | method used to evaluate sound conduction using a vibrating tuning fork |
Rinne fork test | tuning form test that evaluates bone conduction (BC) versus air conduction (AC) of sound |
Weber fork test | tuning fork test that evaluates bone conduction of sound in both ears at the same time |
tympanoplasty | Reconstruction of the eardrum, commonly due to perforation; also called myringoplasty |
ametropia | an error of refraction |
astigmatism | defective curvature of the cornea or lens |
hyperopia (or hypermetropia | farsightedness |
presbyopia | form of farsightedness associated with aging; loss of accommodation of the crystalline lens |
strabismus (or heterotropia) | condition in which one eye is misaligned with the other or out of synchrony |
esotropia | inward turning of the eye |
amblyopia | lazy-eye syndrome |
mydriatics | drugs that disrupt parasympathetic nerve supply to the eye or stimulate the sympathetic nervous system causing the pupil to dilate |
antiemetics | treat and prevent nausea, vomiting, dizziness and vertigo by reducging the sensitivity of inner ear to motion or inhibiting stimuli from reaching the part of the brain that triggers nausea and vomiting |
antiglaucoma agents | decrease aqueous humor production by constricting the pupil to open the angle between the iris and cornea |
caloric stimulation test | test that uses different water temperatures to assess the vestibular portion of the nerve of the inner ear to determine if nerve damage is the cause of vertigo |
cochlear implant | artificial hearing device that produces useful hearing sensations by electrically stimulating nerves inside the inner ear; also called bionic ear |
convergence | medial movement of the two eyeballs so that they are both directed at the object being viewed |
ophthalmic antibiotics | inhibit growth of microorganisms that infect the eye |
ophthalmic decongestants | constrict the small arterioles of the eye, decreasing redness and relieving conjunctival congestion |
ophthalmic moisturizers | soothe dry eyes due to environmental irritants and allergens |
wax emulsifiers | loosen and help remove impacted cerumen (ear wax) |