Chapter 2 Flashcards
wave
An oscillation that travels through a medium by transferring energy from one particle or point to another without causing any permanent displacement of the medium.
photon
A quantum of visible light or other form of electromagnetic radiation demonstrating both particle and wave properties.
hue
The perceptual attribute of colors that enables them to be classed as similar to red, green or blue, or something in between.
scatter
To disperse something—such as light—in an irregular fashion.
refract
- To alter the course of a wave of energy that passes into something from another medium, as water does to light entering it from the air. 2. To measure the degree of refraction in a lens or eye.
cornea
The transparent “window” into the eyeball.
transparent
Referring to the characteristic of a material that allows light to pass through it with no interruption such that objects on the other side can be clearly seen.
aqueous humor
The watery fluid in the anterior chamber of the eye.
iris
The colored part of the eye, consisting of a muscular diaphragm surrounding the pupil and regulating the light entering the eye by expanding and contracting the pupil.
vitreous humor
The transparent fluid that fills the vitreous chamber in the posterior part of the eye.
retina
A light-sensitive membrane in the back of the eye that contains photoreceptors and other cell types, that transduce light into electrochemical signals and transmits them to the brain through the optic nerve.
acommodation
The process by which the eye changes its focus (in which the lens gets fatter as gaze is directed toward nearer objects).
focal distance
The distance between the lens (or mirror) and the viewed object, in meters.
diopter (D)
A unit of measurement of the optical power of a lens. It is equal to the reciprocal of the focal length, in meters. A 2-diopter lens will bring parallel rays of light into focus at 1⁄2 meter (50 cm).
presbyopia
Literally “old sight.” The age-related loss of accommodation, which makes it difficult to focus on near objects.
cataract
An opacity of the crystalline lens.
emmetropia
The condition in which there is no refractive error, because the refractive power of the eye is perfectly matched to the length of the eyeball.
refractive error
A very common disorder in which the image of the world is not clearly focused on the retina. The most common refractive errors are myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia.
myopia
Nearsightedness, a common condition in which light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina and distant objects cannot be seen sharply. Nearsightedness, a common condition in which light entering the eye is focused in front of the retina and distant objects cannot be seen sharply.
hyperopia
Farsightedness, a common condition in which light entering the eye is focused behind the retina and accommodation is required in order to see near objects clearly.
astigmatism
A visual defect caused by the unequal curving of one or more of the refractive surfaces of the eye, usually the cornea.
transduce
To convert from one form of energy to another (e.g., from light to neural electrical energy, or from mechanical movement to neural electrical energy). Neurons use electrical signals in their communication.
fundus
The back layer of the retina: what the eye doctor sees through an ophthalmoscope.
photoreceptor
A light-sensitive receptor in the retina.