Eye histology Flashcards
What is the white part of the eye?
The sclera which is covered by a transperant tissue called the conjunctiva.
What is the colored part of the eye?
The iris which has a center opening that appears black called the pupil. The iris and pupil are covered by the transparent cornea and the junction between the cornea and the sclera is referred to as the limbus of the eye or the corneal sclera junction.
Describe the outer layer of the eye (fibrous tunic)
Sclera: dense irregular connective tissue. Supports and maintains the shape of the eye. Protects the internal structures, attachment site for extraocular muscles.
Cornea: Two layers of epithelium and connective tissue in between .Protects anterior surface of the eye. Refracts (bends) the incoming light onto the lens.
Describe the middle layer (Vascular tunic) of the eye
Choroid: connective tissue; highly vascularized. Supplies nourishment ot the retina, pigment absorbs extraneous light
Cilliary body: smooth muscle covered with a secretory epithelium. Holds suspensory ligaments that attach to the lens and change lens shape for far and near vision. Epithelim secretes aqueous humor
Iris: Two layers of smooth muscle (sphincter pupillae and dilator pupillae) and connective tissue, with a central pupil. Controls the pupil diameter and thus the amount of light entering the eye.
Describe the internal layer (Retina)
Pigmented layer: pigmented epithelial cells. Absorbs extraneous light, provides vitamin A for photoreceptors, recycles photoreceptors products.
Neural layer: neurons and glial cells. Detects incoming light, converts light rays to nerve signals and transmits signals to the brain.
What are the 3 innerconnected chambers of the eyeball?
Anterior, posterior, vitreous
What is the anterior chamber of the eye.
The anterior chamber-between the cornea and the iris. The anterior chamber is filled with aqueous humor, a liquid that resembles blood plasma with less protein and glucose and more lactate and ascorbate.
What is the posterior chamber of the eye
Between the iris and the lens. It is filled with aqueous humor. The aqueous humor is produced by the secretory epithelium linging the cilliary body, fills the posterior chamber and flows into the anterior chamber through the pupil.
What is the vitreous cavity?
It is surrounded by the retina and is posterior to the lens. It contains large transparent gelatinous mass called the vitreous body composed of hyaluronic acid.
What is the cornea?
A colorless, transparent, highly innervated and completely avascular structure composed of cells and connective tissue.
What are the 5 layers of the cornea?
- The corneal epithelium
- The bowmans layer
- corneal stroma
- descemets membrane
- The conreal endothelium
What is the corneal epithelium?
non-keratinized stratified squamous and consists of five to seven layers of cells. These cells provide a barrier to the outside world and contain numerous sensory nerve endings involved in the blink reflex. Corneal epithelial cells undergo continuous renewal fro mstem cells at the corneal sclera junction (limbus)
What is bowmans layer?
A 6 to 9 micro meter thick layer of connective tissue that supports the overlying corneal epithelium and represents an additional protective barrier to trauma and bacterial invasion.
What is corneal stroma?
A highly transparent layer representing 90% of thickness of the cornea. It consists of collagen fibers forming a lattice that is highly resistant to deformations and trauma. Cells of the stroma are called Karatocytes which proudce and maintain the collagen matrix.
What is descemets membrane?
one of the thickest basement membranes in the body
What is the corneal endothelium?
It lines the posterior surface of Descemets membrane and consists of a single layer of squamous epithelial cells, with impermeable intercellular junctions that regulate the influx of aqueous humor into the corneal stroma. The structural and fuctional integrity of the corneal endothelium is vital of a proper hydration state of the stroma and corneal transparency.
What happens when corneal fails to focus the light rays precisely on the retina?
myopia and hyperopia might result
What is myopia (near-sightedness)
The eyeball is too long or a cornea is too curved. Light rays fall short of the retina and objects in the distance appear blurred.
What is hyperopia (far-sightedness)
eyeball is too short or a cornea that is too flat. Light rays are focused behind the retina and object close up are blurred.
What is presbyopia?
similar to hyperopia but is due to an age-related change in the elasticity of the lens.
How can cornea fails to focus light be corrected?
with eyeglasses or a surgical procedure to alter the shape of the cornea called radial keratotomy.
Describe the conjunctiva
A thin, transparent mucosa that covers the exposed, anterior portion of the sclera and continues as the lining of the inner surface of the eyelid.
What is the primary function of the conjunctiva?
To keep the anterior surface of the eye moist and lubricated so they open and close without friction or causing eye irritation and to protect they eye from dust, debris and infection-causing microorganisms.
Describe the histology of the conjunctiva.
It is a stratified columnar epithelium, with numerous small cells resembling goblet cells. The mucous secretions of the goblet cells are added to the tear film that coats the corena and prevents the occurence of dry eye syndrome.
What is conjunctivitis?
A condition in which the conjunctiva is inflamed usually due to bacterial or viral infection or to allergies. The inflammation increases the discharge of the mucus and enlarges the microvasculature of the sclera, causing the white sclera to have a reddish appearance. Bacterial and viral conjunctivitis are contagious but have little effect on vision.
What are the two choroid layers. Describe them
- The choriocapillaris is a vascularized connective tissue containing numerous pigment cells important for nutrition of the outer retinal layers and absorbing scattered light rays
- Bruch’s membrane is a thin sheet of connective tissue between the choriocapilllaris and the pigmented layer of the retina.
What is the choroid a site of?
An age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD resutls from damage to the macula that is required for central vision.
What are the two forms of AMD? Describe them
- Dry (nonexudative >80%) characterized by diffuse or discrete deposits of lipid and protein in Bruch’s membrane of the choroid and atrophy and degeneration of the pigmented epithelium and associated photoreceptors of the retina leading to vision loss. No effective treatment at this time. Diet, multivitamin supplements and antioxidants may slow the progression
- Wet (exudative, 10-15%) characterized by the presence of angiogenic new vesels originating form the choriocapillaries and penetrating through Bruch’s membrane and the RPE. Vessels leak and cause scaring. Current treatment is injection of VEGF antagonists into the vireous cavity to inhibit the formation of new vessles and stop the leaking or laser treatment.
What is the ciliary body?
An anterior expanison of the choroid in the posterior chamber that encircles the lens at the level of the limbus. The ciliary muscle (smooth muscle) makes up most of the stroma of the ciliary body. Ciliary processes are ridges extedning from the ciliary body and lined by a double lyaer of epithelium. The inner layer is highly pigmented. The outer layer of cells are highly specialized for secretion of aqueous humor into the posterior chamber.
Describe the flow of aqueous humor
It is produced continuously and flows toward the lens, passing between it and the iris to reach the anterior chamber and the pupil. The aqueous then flows into the angle formed by the cornea with the basal part of the iris and penetrates the channels of the trabecular meshwork at the corneoscleral junction (limbus) from which it is pumped into the scleral venous sinus and eventually into the venous blood returning from the eye.
Why is normal intraocular pressure necessary?
it is necesary for functioning optical system, partly because it maintains a smooth curvature of the corneal surface and helps keep the photoreceptor cells in contact with the pigmented epithelium.
What happens during glaucoma?
the intraocular pressure is elevated and the optic nerve becomes constricted where it emerges from the eyeball through the sclera.