Ophthalmology Flashcards
What is myopia?
Short sightedness
What is hyperopia?
Farsightedness
WHAT IS GLAUCOMA?
Raised intra-ocular pressure that compresses the optic nerve caused by inadequate drainage of aqueous humour.
What are the different types of glaucoma?
Open angle glaucoma
Acute angle-closure glaucoma
What is open angle glaucoma?
Gradual increases in resistance to the draining of aqueous humourthrough trabecular meshwork and canal of Schlemm.
What are the clinical features of open angle glaucoma?
- GRADUAL onset
- Loss of peripheral vision causing tunnel vision
- Fluctuating headaches
- Halos around bright lights
What are the investigations for open angle glaucoma?
- GOLD STANDARD - Goldmann applanation tonometer
Requires topical anaesthesia and fluorescein but has a high level of accuracy. The force required to flatten a small area of cornea is measured by a prism fitted to a tonometer - Fundoscopy/ophthalmoscopy
Optic cup increases in size as nerve is pushes back though optic disc.
If optic cup > half the size of optic disc = glaucoma
What is the management of open angle glaucoma?
- Prostaglandin eye drops to increase uveoscleral outflow eg. lantanoprost (SE eye discolouration)
- β-blocker timolol to reduce aqueous humour production.
carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (darzolamide) - Trabeculectomy operation creates new drainage hole from anterior chamber through sclera to conjunctiva.
- Annaul screening from age 40 if family history
WHAT IS ACUTE ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA?
Medical emergency
Iris bulges forward and closes off and blocks outflow.
What are the risk factors for acute angle closure glaucoma?
- Hypermetropia (long-sightedness)
- Pupillary dilatation
- Lens growth associated with age
What is acute angle-closure glaucoma triggered by?
- Adrenaline
- Anticholinergics
- Amitriptyline
What are the clinical features of acute angle-closure glaucoma?
- Rapid onset
- Blurred vision
- Halos around lights
- Painful red eye
- N&V
What is the treatment for acute angle-closure glaucoma?
- Immediate admission
- Lie flat and supine
- Pilocaprine drops: 2% in blue eyes, 4% in brown eyes (miotic agent)
- Acetacolamide IV (carbonic anhydrase inhibitor so reduces aqueous humour production)
- Beta blocker timolol
- Analgesia and antiemetic
- Specialist definitive treatment is laser iridotomy creates hole in iris that allows drainage of aqueous humour
WHAT IS MACULAR DEGENERATION?
Degeneration of the central retina (macula) is the key feature with changes usually bilateral.
What are the two types of macular degeneration?
How common is each type?
What is each characterised by?
Dry
- 90% of cases
- Also known as atrophic
- Characterised by drusen - yellow round spots in Bruch’s membrane
Wet
- 10% of cases
- Also know as exudative or neovascular macular degeneration
- Characterised by choroidal neovascularisation
- Leakage of serous fluid and blood can subsequently result in a rapid loss of vision
- Carries worst prognosis
What are the clinical features of macular degeneration?
- Gradual worsening central visual field loss
- Reduced visual acuity particularly in the dark
- Wavy appearance to straight line
What are the investigations for macular degreneration?
- Diagnosis - Slit lamp exam + optical coherence tomography (cross-sectional view of retina)
- Fundoscopy: drusen (yellow deposits of lipids and proteins)
- Fluorescein angiography if neovascular MD is suspected
- Scotoma
What is the treatment for macular degeneration?
- Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor
WHAT IS CATARACTS?
A cataract is a common eye condition where the lens of the eye gradually opacifies i.e. becomes cloudy.
What is the cause for cataracts?
- Response to normal aging - most common
- Smoking
- Alcohol
- Diabetes mellitus
- Hypocalcaemia
- Long-term steroids
What are the clinical features of cataracts?
- Reduced vision
- Faded colour vision: making it more difficult to distinguish different colour
- Glare: lights appear brighter than usual
- Halos around lights
- A Defect in the red reflex
What are the investigtations for cataracts?
- Ophthalmoscopy: done after pupil dilation. Findings: normal fundus and optic nerve
- Slit-lamp examination. Findings: visible cataract
What is the management for cataracts?
- Non-surgical management, stronger glasses, brighter lighting
- Surgical management - replacing the lens with an artifical one
WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF PAINLESS RED EYES?
- Blepharitis
- Episcleritis
- Conjunctivitis
- Subconjunctival haemorrhage
WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF PAINFUL RED EYES?
- Scleritis
- Anterior uveitis AKA iritis
- Corneal abrasion
- Herpes keratitis
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma
WHAT IS SCLERITIS?
Scleritis is an inflammatory condition in which the outer shell of the eye, the sclera, becomes oedematous and tender
What are some conditions associated with scleritis?
- RA
- SLE
- IBD
- Sarcoidosis
What are the clinical features of scleritis?
- Red eye
- Classically painful (in comparison to episcleritis), but sometimes only mild pain/discomfort is present
- Watering and photophobia are common
- Gradual decrease in vision
What is the treatment for scleritis?
- NSAIDs
E.g. oxyphenobutazome and indomethacin
WHAT IS ANTERIOR UVEITIS/IRITIS?
Inflammation of the anterior portion of the uvea - iris and ciliary body
What conditions is anterior uveitis associated with?
- HLA B27
Ankylosing spondylitis - Reactive arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
What are the clinical features of anterior uveitis?
- Unilateral
- Acute onset
- Ocular discomfort & pain (may increase with use)
- Pupil may be small +/- irregular due to sphincter muscle contraction
- Ciliary flush
- Photophobia (often intense)
- Blurred vision
- Red eye
- Lacrimation
What is the management for anterior uveitis?
- Urgent review by ophthalmology
- Cycloplegics (dilates the pupil which helps to relieve pain and photophobia) e.g. Atropine, cyclopentolate
- Steroid eye drops
WHAT IS CONJUNCTIVITIS?
Conjunctivitis is the most common eye problem presenting to primary care. It is characterised by sore, red eyes associated with a sticky discharge
What are the differences between bacterial and viral conjunctivitis?
What is the management of bacterial conjunctivitis?
- Normally a self-limiting condition that usually settles without treatment within 1-2 weeks
- Topical antibiotic therapy is commonly offered to patients, e.g. Chloramphenicol. Chloramphenicol drops are given 2-3 hourly initially where as chloramphenicol ointment is given qds initially
- Topical fusidic acid is an alternative and should be used for pregnant women. Treatment is twice daily
- Contact lens should not be worn during an episode of conjunctivitis
- Advice should be given not to share towels
- School exclusion is not necessary
WHAT ARE THE FEATURES OF ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS?
- Bilateral symptoms conjunctival erythema, conjunctival swelling (chemosis)
- Itch is prominent
- the eyelids may also be swollen
- May be a history of atopy
- May be seasonal (due to pollen) or perennial (due to dust mite, washing powder or other allergens)
What is the management of allergic conjunctivitis?
- first-line: topical or systemic antihistamines
- second-line: topical mast-cell stabilisers, e.g. Sodium cromoglicate and nedocromil
WHAT IS A SUBCONJUNCTIVAL HAEMORRHAGE?
This presents as a bright red patch under the conjunctiva following rupture of a small conjunctival vessel
What is the cause of subconjunctival haemorrhage?
- Spontaneously
- Slight trauma
- Local congestion due to coughing or sneezing.
- In head injury, blood from a fracture at the base of the skull may travel through the floor of the orbit and into the subconjunctival space
What are the symptoms of subconjunctival haemorrhage?
There is no discharge. Usually, the condition is painless and does not usually impair vision.
WHAT IS EPISCLERITIS?
The episclera is the thin layer of vascular tissue overlying the sclera
What are the features of episcleritis?
- Red eye
- Classically not painful (in comparison to scleritis), but mild pain may be present
- Watering and mild photophobia may be present
- In episcleritis, the injected vessels are mobile when gentle pressure is applied on the sclera. In scleritis, vessels are deeper, hence do not move
How can you differentiate between episcleritis and scleritis?
- Phenylephrine drops
- Phenylephrine blanches the conjunctival and episcleral vessels but not the scleral vessels.
- If the eye redness improves after phenylephrine a diagnosis of episcleritis can be made
What is the management of episcleritis?
- Conservative
- Artificial tears may sometimes be used