LEC 8 - Eyes Flashcards
What are the four possible entry into the cornea?
Destruction of corneal epithelium
Penetration of corneal stroma
Diffusion intro stroma via limbal blood vessels
Injurt to corneal endthelium
What are three examples that cause injury to the corneal endothelium?
Gluacoma
Lens luxation
Leukocyte mediated injury
What is the main method by which there is entry into the uvea?
Hematogenous
What are the three hematogenous routes that go into the uvea?
Toxins
Infectious agents
Neoplastic emboli
What are the methods of defense in the cornea?
Intact corneal epithelium
Leukocytes
What about the corneal epithelium protects the cornea?
Constant washing of corneal surfaces
Tears rich in antimicrobial substances
Surface mucus inhibits bacterial colonization
What are the three antimicrobial substances in tears?
IgA
Lysozyme
Lactoferrin
What are the three mechanisms by which the uvea are protected?
Scelra/Bony orbit
Blood ocular barrier
Anterior chamber immune deviation
What is the blood ocular barrier?
Tight junctions between:
Endothelial cells of iris + Retinal blood vessels
Epitheliaum of non-pigmented ciliary epithelium + RPE
What is ACAID?
Immune response by which infectious agents that enter into the anterior chamber induce a highly controlled immune response
What are the benefits of the ACAID response?
Minimal tissue damage
Very strong response
Why is the uveal tract no protected agains noxious agents in circulation?
It has free communicationwith peripheral blood
When an antigen enters the eye how are T cells activated? Why?
NO lymphoid tissue in eye
APC’s exit normal aqueous outflow and go to marginal zones in the spleen
T lymphocytes are then activated
What does the blood-eye barrier in the retina consist of?
Tight junctions between
RPE cells + Retinal vascular endothelium
What is different about the retina in regards to immune defense compared to the rest of the eye?
No real defense at all against infectious agents, radiation, or noxious chemicals through the vitreous
What are the two major pathological processes in which the cornea responds to injury?
Adaptive cutaneous metaplasia
– and –
Epithelial/Stromal Necrosis
When does adaptive cutaneous metaplasia normally occur with corneal injury?
Mild persistant irritation
What common eyelid disease causes adaptive cutaneous metaplasia in the cornea?
Entropion
What is entropion?
Inversion of the margin of the eyelid
What is adaptive cutaneous metaplasia a combination of? (5 processes)
Keratinization
Epithelial hyperplasia
Epithelial pigmentation
Subepithelial fibrosis
Vascularization
Define: Corneal ulceration
Full thickness epithelial loss
How does edema occur with ulcerations of the cornea?
Water is absorbed from tear film into the anterior stroma
What is the hallmark of corneal ulceration? How does it manifest?
Edema
Opacity
What is the diagnostic technique to diagnosis a corneal ulceration?
Fluorescein dye