Case 3 - Pathophysiology Flashcards
what is strabismus
a squint is a misalignment of the visual axis of the eyes
what does the superior rectus muscle do
abduction and elevation
what does the lateral rectus do
abduction
what does the inferior rectus do
abduction and depression
what does the inferior oblique do
adduction and elevation
what does the medial rectus do
adduction
what does the superior oblique do
adduction and depression
what is a manifest squint
present all the time and is referred to as a ‘tropia’
what is a latent squint
present on dissociation of the eyes and is referred to as a ‘phoria’
what is exptropia squint
divergent squint (affected eye looks outwards)
what is a esotropia squint
convergent squint (affected eye looks inwards)
what is hypertrophia
upwards vertical squint (affected eye looks up)
what is hypotropia
downwards vertical squint (affected eye looks down)
what is a paralytic squint
are due to paralysis of one or more of the extra-ocular miscues. the angle of deviation varies according to the direction of gaze and the squint is greatest when looking in the direction of the action of the paralysed muscle
what are some of the causes of paralytic squints
- trauma
- diabetes
- hypertension
- acoustic neuroma
- glioma
- sarcoidosis
- vasculitis
- raised inter cranial pressure
what is a non paralytic squint
in a non-paralytic squint there is full ocular movement, hence the angle of deviation is the same in all directions
what are causes of a non-paralytic squint
high refractive error
cataracts
retinoblastoma
what is visual acuity
in children squinting affects normal visual development because the visual cortex receives a misaligned image from one eye. this causes it to suppress the visual information from the affected eye, leading to a reduction in the visual acuity known as amblyopia.
when can amblyopia only be corrected
before the age of 7
what is the alignment of the visual axes test
use a pen touch to assess the corneal reflections. there will be deviation in a squinting eye
what is the cover/uncover test
a. cover the squinting eye. the unaffected eye will not deviate
b. cover the unaffected eye. the squinting eye will move to take up fiction
c. since eye movements are equal and opposite, then as the squint moves to take up fixation, the unaffected eye also moves
d. remove the cover from the unaffected eye. the unaffected eye will resume fixation and the squint will return to its original position
what is the alternate cover test
move the cover rapidly between the two eyes. this dissociates the eyes and will show if there is a latent squint
how to determine if there is a paralytic squint
assess ocular movements
what is fundoscopy
assess for cataracts, retinoblastoma, or papilloedema suggesting a raised inner cranial pressure
how many hours a day should a patch be worn
6 hours
what is hypermetropia
common problem with the eyes focusing that can affect your vision at all distances, but especially close up.
this is because of a focusing problem. usually light comes in through the lens and focuses on the retina at the back of the eye. in hypermetropia the light is focused too far back in the eye, behind the retina, which causes things to look blurred close up.
many very young children may have mild hypertrophic that gets better by itself as they grow older. the percentage of people with hypermetropia increases with age
what are the two parts of the eye that focus images
- the cornea is the clear dome shaped front surface of the eye
- the lens is the clear structure about the size and shape of a M&M
what are the cornea and lens shaped like in a normal eye
each of these focusing elements has a perfectly smooth curvature like the surface of a marble. a cornea and lens with such curvature bend (refract) all incoming light to make a sharply focused image directly on the retina, at the back of your eye
what is a refractive error
if your cornea or lens isn’t evenly and smoothly curved, light rays aren’t refracted properly, and you have a refractive error.
fairsightedness occurs when your eyeball is shorter than normal or your cornea is curved too little. the effect is the opposite of nearsightedness
what is aphakia
when the cornea is flattened
is hypermetropia usually genetic
yes. babies and young children may suffer from hypermetropia but it usually corrects itself
why is a lazy eye developed as a result
this is because the eye with the weakest vision is ignored by the brain. if this is not corrected in young children, there is a risk that the weaker eye will never see as the other eye, where the squint happens
what is amblyopia
is a condition whereby there’s a reduction in visual acuity due to a problem with focusing in early childhood. this results in reduced acuity as the brain is not stimulated to develop correctly.
this is not necessarily an inherent problem with the eye itself. it affects about 1-5% of the population
what is the most common cause of amblyopia
strabismus. in this condition, the two eyes do not align correctly, and the brain surpasses images received from one of the eyes to avoid a perception of diplopia. the results is that vision in the suppressed eye does not develop properly
how do you treat strabismus
- treated wither patches or eye drops. both of these methods obscure the vision of the good eye and force the brain to process the image from the affected eye.
- drops used are dilation drops. the dilation of the pupil causes the vision to become very blurry and as such the inout from that eye is ignored by the brain.
- drops reduce the incidence of bullying at school, but can be difficult to administer.