NUR 370 SENSORY Flashcards
General senses
- pain
- light touch
- pressure
- temperature
- proprioception
Special senses
- taste
- smell
- sight
- hearing
- balance
Referred pain
- pain sensed on body surfaces at distant locations from the originating organ
Phantom pain
- pain that exists after the removal of a body part
Eye
- organ that allows us to perceive the environment in which we live
Layers of the eye
- outer
- middle
- inner
Components of outer layer of eye
- sclera
- cornea
Components of the middle layer of eye
- choroid
- ciliary body
- iris
Components of the inner layer of eye
- retina
Eye changes with aging
- less tearing
- cornea less sensitive (more prone to injury)
- pupils decrease in size and react slower
- lens yellowed, less flexible, cloudy
- sink into skull
- muscle weakening
- decline of visual acuity
- intolerance to glare
Conjunctivitis
- pink eye
- infection or inflammation of the conjunctiva
- virus (most common)
- bacteria (Staphylococcus, Chlamydia, gonorrhea)
- allergens
Symptoms of conjunctivitis
- viral: watery secretions
- bacterial: pus
- blurry vision
- photophobia
Keratitis
- inflammation of the cornea that can be triggered by an infection or trauma
Common causes of keratitis
- trauma (artificial UV exposure)
- welding
- contact lens overuse
- abrasions
- viral infections (herpes, chickenpox, epstein-barr)
Open-angle (chronic) glaucoma
- intraocular pressure increases gradually over time
- degeneration and obstruction of trabecular meshwork decreasing absorption of aqueous humor
- most common
Symptoms of open-angle glaucoma
- painless, insidious, bilateral changes in vision (tunnel vision, blurred vision, halos around lights)
- changes are gradual
Closed-angle (acute) glaucoma
- results from sudden blockage of aqueous humor outflow
- narrow iridocorneal angle blocks drainage into canal of Schlemm
- more dangerous potential to lose sight
Causes of closed-angle glaucoma
- trauma
- sudden pupil dilation (exposure to bright light)
- prolonged pupil dilation (meds)
- emotional stress
Symptoms of closed-angle glaucoma
- onset and worsen quickly
- severe eye pain
- headache
- nausea
- vomiting
- nonreactive pupil
- erythema
- haziness of cornea
- halo around lights
- cloudy vision
Treatment of glaucoma
- goal to decrease intraocular pressure
- beta blockers to reduce aqueous humor production
- laser surgery
Congenital glaucoma
- present at birth
- abnormal development of outflow channels (trabecular meshwork)
Secondary glaucoma
- result from use of certain medications, eye diseases, diabetes, trauma
Cataracts
- opacity or clouding of the lens
- congenital or develop later in life
- proteins in lens break down to make lens cloudy
Symptoms of cataracts
- cloudy, fuzzy, foggy, filmy vision
- color intensity loss
- impaired night vision
- halos around lights
Macular degeneration
- deterioration of the macular area of the retina
- caused by impaired blood supply
Types of macular degeneration
- dry
- wet
Dry macular degeneration
- most common form
- occurs when blood vessels under the macula become thin and brittle
- small yellow deposits form and blur vision and create a dim spot in central vision
Wet macular degeneration
- brittle vessels break down
- forming of new , abnormal, fragile blood vessels grow under the macula
- leak blood and fluid leading to macula damage
- more vision loss than dry
Strabismus
- gaze deviation of one eye
- most often appears at birth
- brain begins to ignore input from one eye
Amblyopia
- lazy eye
- loss of one of eye’s ability to see details
- brain and eyes do not work together properly (brain favors one eye)
- other eye becomes weak
- strabismus most frequent cause of amblyopia
Retinal detachment
- acute condition that occurs when retina separates from its supporting structure
- spontaneously or nearsightedness, trauma, diabetes
- vitreous humor leaks through retinal tear and accumulates underneath retina
- can cause vision loss
Outer ear structure
- auricle
- ear lobe
- external auditory canal
Function of auricle
- funnels sound waves into external auditory canal
Function of external auditory canal
- directs sound waves to the eardrum
Middle ear structure
- tympanic membrane (eardrum)
- ossicles
Function of the tympanic membrane
- vibrates when struck by sound waves
Function of ossicles
- transmit sound to the cochlea in the inner ear
- malleus, incus, stapes bones
Inner ear structure
- cochlea
- semicircular canals
- saccule and utricle
Function of cochlea
- converts fluid waves to nerve impulses
Function of semicircular canals
- detect head movement
Function of saccule and utricle
- detect head movement and linear acceleration
Anotia
- absence of the auricle
- ear and kidneys develop at same time, if ear has abnormalities abdominal assessment should be done
- may also lack external canal
Microtia
- small, underdeveloped auricle
- may also lack external canal
Atresia
- lack external ear canal
Congenital hearing loss
- damage associated with maternal rubella and syphilis infection during pregnancy
Presbycusis
- hearing loss
Sensorineural
- damage to inner ear, auditory nerve, or brain
- hearing aids can improve function
Conductive hearing loss
- problems with transmitting sound through the outer and middle ear to the inner ear
- surgery or hearing aid
Tinnitus
- persistent, abnormal ear noise
- ringing, buzzing, roaring, humming sound
- result of mild hearing loss
Otitis media
- infection of inflammation of middle ear
- usually viral upper respiratory infection and migrates to the middle ear causing accumulation of fluid behind the tympanic membrane
Otitis externa
- swimmer’s ear
- infection or inflammation of the external ear canal or auricle
- bacterial in origin (Pseudomonas aeruginosa)
- moisture in the ear that creates bacterial growth
Otosclerosis
- abnormal bone growth in the middle ear, usually involving an imbalance in bone formation and resorption
- progressive hearing loss
Meniere’s disease
- disorder of inner ear resulting from endolymph swelling
- stretches membranes and interferes with hair receptors in cochlea and vestibule - stimulates vertigo
Vertigo
- sensation of spinning or moving
Peripheral vertigo
- problem with vestibular labyrinth, semicircular canals, or vestibular nerve
- caused by certain medications, head injury, meniere’s disease
Central vertigo
- problem in the brain, primarily brain stem or cerebellum
- caused by aspirin, alcohol, migraines, MS, seizures
