Accomodation
Focus; increase in optical power by the eye in order to maintain a clear image as objects are moved closer
Albinism
lack of pigment in eyes, skin, and hair. can occur just in the eyes
amblyopia
decreased vision in eye(s) without detectable health problems; commonly called lazy eye
ametropia
the condition of having a refractive error (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, or presbyopia)
anisocoria
unequal pupil size
anisometropia
unequal refractive error in the eyes; at least 1 D difference
asthenopia
symptom of eyestrain, may also include headache and browache
astigmatism
refractive error where refractive power is not uniform in all directions; light rays are bent differently in one meridian vs 90 degrees away;
astigmatism
cyl or cylinder
binocularity
the ability to use both eyes together; resulting in depth perception/ stereopsis; lack of results in double vision or lack of depth perception/ stereopsis
cataract (cat)
condition where the crystalline lens becomes cloudy or partially opaque; may be congenital, due to age (senile), or traumatic; lens may have to be surgically removed if vision is affected
chalazion (plural chalazia)
chronic inflamed gland in the eyelid, commonly called “stye”
congenital
condition present since birth or shortly after
convergence insufficiency (CI)
condition where one has difficulty “crossing” eyes as near to fixate binocularly, can result in double vision or eye strain
corneal abrasion (K abrasion)
scraped area of corneal surface with loss of superficial cells (epithelium); causes pain and photophobia
corneal laceration
full thickness penetration of the cornea; results in ruptured globe
corneal topography
map of the variations of curvature in the cornea, like a geographical relief map of the cornea
corneal ulcer
localized infection in anterior portion of cornea, can be bacterial, fungal, or viral, commonly secondary to contact lens overwear
diabetic retinopathy (DR)
changes in the retina due to longstanding or uncontrolled DM, may include hemorrhages, cotton wool spots, exudates, and neovascularization
diagnosis (Dx); plural diagnoses
the decision reached after examination to investigate the nature and circumstances of a disease process; what the disease is,
diopter (D)
unit of measure to designate refractive power of a lens
diplopia
perception of two images from one object; double vision
dry eye syndrome (DES)
corneal and conjunctival dryness due to deficient tear production
emmetropia
having no refractive error,
emmetrope
slang for someone who doesn’t need glasses
epilation
the removal of hair or eyelashes; may be plucked or by electrolysis
etiology
the cause of a disease or abnormal condition
foreign body
an object that doesn’t belong; can be corneal, conjunctival, or intraocular
foreign body sensation (FBS)
symptom of grittiness or feeling something in the eye, can be due to a foreign body or not (eg dry eye syndrome)
fundus, plural fundi
interior posterior surface of the eyeball; includes retina, optic disc, macula, posterior pole
glaucoma (glc)
group of diseases characterized by damage to the optic nerve and retinal nerve fibers resulting in loss of peripheral vision; treated with topical meds (eyedrops) oral meds, laser, or surgery
hemorrhage; slang word heme
bleeding, may be seen in retina, conjunctiva, anterior chamber, choroid, etc
hordeolum; plural hordeola
acute inflamed gland in the eyelid, commonly called the stye; when chronic called chalazion
hyperopia
refractive error where the eye is underpowered; pt requires plus lenses to correct; also called hypermetropia, farsightedness
idiopathic
having an unknown cause, no recognizable etiology
intraocular pressure (IOP)
fluid pressure inside the eye; measured with tonometry
itis
suffix indicating inflammation of the structure
kerato
prefix indicating relating to the cornea
legal blindness
best-corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or worse, or reduction in visual field to 20 degrees or less in the better seeing eye
lenticular
pertaining to the crystalline lens
leukocoria
any condition that results in a white pupil eg cataract retinoblastoma etc
manifest refraction (M), slang “manifest” or “refraction”
test to determine the refractive prescription of the eye
morbidity
disease
mortality
death ( can refer to cell death)
myopia, nearsightedness, slang term myope (if referring to the patient with myopia)
refractive error where the eye is overpowered, pt requires minus lenses to correct,
neovascularization (NV)
pathologic abnormal formation of new blood vessels; can occur on retina, choroid, iris, optic disc, or anterior chamber angle
nystagmus
small, repetitive, involuntary, rhythmic side to side or up and down movements of the eyes “shaking” of the eyes
ocular hypertension (OHTN)
condition where the pt has elevated IOPs, but no signs of glaucoma
oculus dexter (OD)
right eye
oculus sinister (OS)
left eye
oculus uterque (OU)
both eyes used together
ophthalmology. “prefix” ophthalmic
medical specialty dealing with the eye
optic nerve head/ optic disc (ONH/)
interchangeable terms referring to the portion of the optic nerve visible upon fundus examination; denotes the exit of retinal nerve fibers from the eye and entrance of blood vessels to the eye
optical coherence tomography (OCT)
imaging instrument used to create ocular ultasounds giving cross-sectional views of the eye and measurments of tissue thickness; used to evaluate glaucoma (ONH), retinal pathologies, and anterior segment disorders
papilledema
swelling of optic discs due to increased intracranial pressure
papillo
prefix indicating related to optic disc
pathologic
caused by a disease or abnormal function; due to pathology
phakia
suffix relating to the crystalline lens,
aphakia
without lens
phakic
with lens
phthisis bulbi, also called phthisical eye
diseased or damaged eyeball that has lost function and shrunk
physiologic
normal condition or function; opposite of pathologic
posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)
separation of the vitreous gel from the retinal surface; usually age- or trauma related; causes floater in vision
presbyopia
refractive condition in which there is diminished focusing ability due to age; usually presents after age 40; requires add (bifocal or near only glasses) for near viewing
prognosis (Px)
prediction of the probable course and outcome of a disease
prophylaxis (noun), prophylactic (adjective)
prevention, preventative
ptosis
drooping of upper eyelid, ptotic lid
refractive surgeries
various procedures that alter the shape of the cornea of insert an artificial lens into the eye to change the eye’s refractive power. eg LASIK, PRK, RK, phalic IOL
retinal detachment (RD)
separation of the sensory retina from its underlying structures; requires surgical repair
retinitis pigmentosa (RP)
group of diseases characterized by the progressive retinal degeneration of both eyes; night blindness with loss of peripheral vision initially
strabismus/ tropia/ eye turn/ squint
interchangeable terms for eye misalignment caused by extraocular muscle imbalance
superficial punctate keratopathy (SPK)
corneal condition consisting of multiple pinpoint epithelial defects; non-specific sign indicating corneal problems, eg DES
tear breakup time (TBUT)
test for tear function. dye (sodium fluorescein) is instilled in the eye, and the time interval (in seconds) until the dye “breaks up” is measured indicating the viability of the tear film
tear film
liquid that coats the cornea and conjunctiva
trichiasis
misdirected eyelash that turns inward towards the eyeball; may scratch the cornea
uveitis
inflammation of any of the structures of the uvea, iris, ciliary body, or choroid, eg iritis, iridocyclitis, choroiditis
visual acuity (VA)
measurement of the eye’s ability to distinguish object details and shape
visual field (VF)
full extent of the area visible to an eye that is fixating straight ahead, measured in degrees from fixation “side vision”, “peripheral vision”, a test done to evaluate the function of the optic nerve and retina, commonly done to evaluate glaucoma