Eye I & II Flashcards
What are the 3 layers of the eye?
- fibrous layer - corneoscleral coat
- vascular coat - uvea
- retina
What are the chambers of the eye?
anterior and posterior segments that further divide into different chambers
Describe the cornea of the eye
in the corneoscleral coat
- anterior 1/6 of the eyeball
- continuous with the sclera
- transparent and avascular
- provides 2/3s of refractive power
What are the five layers of the cornea?
1) corneal epithelium
2) Bowman’s membrane
3) corneal stroma
4) Descement’s membrane
5) corneal endothelium
What type of epithelium is corneal epithelium?
stratified squamous (non-keratinized) epithelium attached via desmososmes
What do apex of the corneal epithelial cells have that help retain tears secreted, preventing drying of the cornea?
microvili
What do corneal epithelial cells have that protect DNA from UV damage?
ferritin (melanin is absent)
What innervates corneal epithelium?
CN V1 (ophthalmic division)
- corneal blink reflex
- very sensitive
What is Bowman’s membrane?
acellular specialized basement membrane (anterior)
- does not regenerate
- teminates at corneoscleral limbus
What do Bowman’s membrane contribute?
- strength and stability of
cornea - acts as barrier to prevent spread of infections
What happens when Bowman’s membrane is damaged?
creates an opaque scar that can impair vision
What is corneal stroma?
90% of corneal thickness
What maintains the transparency of the cornea?
corneal stroma
- collagen fibrils arranged in lamellae where adjacent lamellae are arranged at right angles to each other
What are responsible for the precise spacing of the collagen fibrils in corneal stroma?
proteoglycans and collagen V
What happens when there’s a disruption to the lamellar arrangement of corneal stroma?
opaque cornea
What is Descemet’s membrane?
posterior basement membrane of the cornea endothelium (next layer)
- regenerates after injury
- thickens with age
- interwoven meshwork of fibers and pores
What does Descemet’s membrane help maintain?
normal curvature of the cornea through connections with the sclera and ciliary muscle
What type of epithelium is corneal endothelium?
simple squamous epithelium
Briefly describe corneal endothelium
- faces the anterior chamber of the eyeball
- epithelium is joined by zonula adherens, zonula occludens and desmosomes
- limited proliferative ability
What happens when corneal endothelium has been injured?
corneal opacity
Which layer of the cornea is responsible for virtually all of the metabolic exchanges of the cornea?
corneal endothelium
Briefly describe the sclera
- white part of the eye
- posterior 5/6s of the eyeball
- tough fibrous CT (collagen and elastic fibers) to maintain shpae of the eyeball
- Tenon’s capsule
- pierced by optic nerve, blood vessels and other nerves
What is the Tenon’s capsules?
fascial sheath over the surface of the sclera where the extraocular muscles insert
What is the corneoscleral limbus?
- location of stem cells for corneal epithelium
- location of iridocorneal angle
What is the iridocorneal angle?
- trabecular meshwork
- formation of the canal of Schlemm (scleral venous sinus)
- apparatus for the outflow of the aqueous humor
What does the uvea (vascular coat) contain?
- iris
- ciliary body
- choroid
Briefly describe the iris
- most anterior portion
- pupil
- anterior and posterior pigment epithelium
- contractile diaphragm in front of the lens (dilator and sphincter pupillae)
Where is ciliary body?
area anterior to the Ora serrata (defines the anterior limit of the retina and choroid and the posterior limit of the ciliary body)
Ciliary body is lined by which type of epithelium?
two layers of simple columnar epithelium separated by a basement membrane
What are the characteristics of the inner layer of ciliary body?
- adjacent to aqueous humor
- non-pigmented
- fluid-transporting epithelium
- complex cell-to-cell junctions
- well developed zonula occludens
What are the characteristics of the outer layer of ciliary body?
- pigmented, rich in melanin
- less developed cell-to-cell junctions
- ciliary channels
What are ciliary processes?
- 75 radial ridges
- secretion and anchoring zonule fibers, form suspensory ligament of the lens
Describe the flow of aqueous humor
posterior chamber > pupil > anterior chamber > trabecular meshwork > Canal of Schlemm > venous system
What produces aqueous humor?
ciliary processes
In regards to aqueous humor, what is blood?
aqueous barrier
Describe the ciliary muscle
- longitudinal fibers stretch choroid
- radial fibers flatten lens, distal vision
- circular fibers reduces tension on lens, near vision
Briefly describe the choroid
- dark-brown vascular sheet, prevents reflection of light waves entering
- lies between the sclera and retina
Why is the choroid dark-brown?
abundance of melanocytes
Briefly describe the choriocapillary layer
- inner vascular layer
- richer in small fenestrated blood vessels
- provides nutrients to the retina
What is the Bruch’s membrane?
aka Lamina vitrea
- thin, amorphous hyaline membrane
- innermost layer of choroid
- five layers formed from choroid and a retinal layer