Ophthalmology Flashcards
What are the 3 layers of the eye?
Outer protective (sclera + cornea) Middle coat (choroid, ciliary body and iris) Inner layer (retina)
What is the anterior chamber of the eye?
Space between cornea and iris
What is the posterior chamber of the eye?
Space between iris and ciliary body/lens
What is a stye (hordeolum externum)?
Inflammatory lid swelling
Abscess or infection (usually Staph) in a lash follicle or gland of Moll/Zeiss, ‘point’ outwards
How should styes be treated?
Warm compress for 5-10mins several times each day
What is a chalazion/Meibomiam cyst?
Abscess of Meibomian glands which ‘point’ inwards,
opening on conjunctiva and leaving residual swelling
How should Meibomiam cysts be treated?
Incision and curettage under LA if not resolving
spontaneously
What is blepharitis and what are some causes?
Lid inflammation e.g. staph, seborrheic dermatitis, rosacea, meibomian gland dysfunction
How should blepharitis be treated?
Good eyelid hygiene (cotton bud + baby shampoo),
warm compress, artificial tears
If not resolving, oral doxy
What is entropion?
Lid inturning so eyelids irritate cornea
Typically due to degen of lower lid fascial attachments and their muscles
How can entropion be managed?
Tape eyelids to cheek or use botox to lower lid
Surgery for long lasting refief
What is ectropion?
Lower lid eversion causing eye irritation, watering and exposure keratitis
What is blepharospasm?
Involuntary contraction of orbicularis oculi, commonly in response to pain
How can blepharospasm be managed?
Botox 3-monthly to cause flaccid paralysis
Anticholinergic, dopamine agonists (levodopa, bromocriptine)
What is a blow out fracture?
Partial herniation of the orbital contents through one
of its walls (medial + inferior weakest)
How can blow out fracture present?
Enophthalmos (posterior displacement of eye), diplopia, infraorbital numbness, retrobulbar haemorrhage
How can retrobulbar haemorrhage present?
Tight, swollen eyelid, fixed dilated pupil, loss of vision
What is the management for retrobulbar haemorrhage?
Urgent canthotomy + cantholysis
What can cause dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)?
Old age
Sjogren’s, mumps, sarcoid, drugs
How can dry eyes be managed?
Artificial tears and lubricating drops
Reducing size of punctum by plugs, cautery or laser
What can cause watery eyes?
Punctal stenosis, canaliculitis
Dust, irritant, corneal injury, FB
Entropion, ectropion, MG, FN palsy
What is dacryocystitis and how does it present?
Infection of lacrimal drainage sac
Red, tender swelling at medial canthus
What is the treatment for dacryocystitis?
High dose oral Abx and referral to secondary care
What are some presenting features of retinoblastoma?
Strabismus, leukocoria (white pupil), absent red reflex
What are some management options for retinoblastoma?
Enucleation: eye removal, may be needed if large, retinal detachment, optic nerve invasion
Chemo (bilateral), RT/cryo
What are some risk factors for ophthalmic shingles?
Age, trauma to area, immunocompromised (HIV, transplant, Hodgkin’s)
How does ophthalmic shingles present?
Pain and neuralgia in CN V1 dermatome preceding blistering inflammed rash
Ocular involvement: conjunctivitis, visual loss, episcleritis/scleritis, iritis
What is Hutchinson’s sign in reference to ophthalmic shingles?
Nose-tip involvement makes it likely eye will be affected
How should ophthalmic shingles be managed?
Oral acyclovir/famciclovir for 7-10d if within 72h of rash onset
Steroid eye drops if ocular involvement
What is orbital cellulitis?
Infection of soft tissues posterior to orbital septum
What are some signs of orbital cellulitis?
Fever, lid swelling, ↓eye mobility, painful eye movements, diplopia, proptosis, chemosis
What are some complications of orbital cellulitis?
Visual loss due to optic neuritis, CRVO/CRAO
Meningitis, brain abscess, dural/cavernous sinus thrombosis
How should orbital cellulitis be investigated?
CT, ENT, ophthalmic opinion, blood cultures/swab
How should orbital cellulitis be managed?
Cefotaxime and metro IV
If abscess, surgical drainage
What are the differences between orbital and periorbital cellulitis?
Periorbital cellulitis is infection of soft tissues anterior to orbital septum
Also NO pain on eye movement or diplopia or visual impairment in periorbital
How should periorbital cellulitis be managed?
Amoxicillin/co-amoxiclav 7-10d
How can squints be diagnosed?
Corneal reflection
Cover test
How can squints be managed?
Spectacles to correct error
Patching good eye to encourage use of one which squints
Resection of rectus muscles, Botox
What are the features of an oculomotor nerve palsy?
Ptosis, proptosis, fixed pupil dilatation, eye down and
out
What are the features of a trochlear nerve palsy?
Diplopia, pt may tilt head, cannot look down and in
What are the features of an abducens nerve palsy?
Diplopia in horizontal plane
Eye is medially deviated and cannot move laterally from midline
What can cause an afferent pupillary defect?
Optic neuritis, optic atrophy, retinal disease
What can cause an efferent pupillary defect?
3rd nerve palsy
Cavernous sinus lesions, superior orbital fissure syndrome, diabetes, PosCom artery aneurysm
What can cause a fixed, dilated pupil?
3rd nerve palsy, mydriatics, trauma, acute glaucoma, coning
What is a tonic (Adie) pupil?
Lack of parasympathetic innervation results in poor
constriction to light and slow response to accommodation
What are the features of Horner’s syndrome?
Miosis, partial ptosis, unilateral facial anhidrosis (sweating intact in distal lesions) Iris heterochromia (if congenital Horner’s)
What can cause Horner’s syndrome?
PICA/basilar occlusion, syringomyelia, MS, cavernous sinus thrombosis, Pancoast, aortic aneurysm, carotid dissection
What are the features of Argyll-Robertson pupil?
Bilateral miosis, poor pupillary dilation, pupil irregularity, light-near dissociation (-ve to light, +ve
to accommodation)
What is myopia?
Eyeball is too long, only close objects focus on retina (short-sightedness)
What is the management for myopia?
Concave lenses
What is astigmatism?
Cornea has greater degree of curvature in one place compared to another and is an irregular surface (rugby ball shape)
What is hypermetropia?
Eye is too short, light focused behind retina, close
object blurry and far objects may be normal
How can hypermetropia be corrected?
Convex lenses
What is presbyopia?
Age-related reduced near-acuity from failing accommodation (lens stiffens)
Lesions at the optic chiasm cause what visual field defect?
Bitemporal hemianopia
Lesions at the optic tracts cause what visual field defect?
Contralateral homonymous hemianopia
Lesions at the optic radiations in the temporal lobe cause what visual field defect?
Superior quadrantanopia
Lesions at the optic radiations in the parietal lobe cause what visual field defect?
Inferior quadrantanopia
Lesions at the visual cortex cause what visual field defect?
Contralateral homonymous hemianopia often with macula sparing
How can visual fields be examined?
Finger mapping of fields
Hat-pin confrontation: red (central vision) and white hat-pins are used to define size of blind spot, boundaries of scotoma
Amsler grids
What are some causes of red eye that require immediate referral?
Acute glaucoma, acute iritis, corneal ulcers, scleritis
What is a subconjunctival haemorrhage?
Harmless, pool of blood behind conjunctiva
from small bleed
How can episcleral vessels be differentiated from scleral vessels?
Episcleral vessels lie superficially, will move when
probed with cotton bud and blanch with application of 10% phenylephrine
Deeper scleral vessels will not move or blanch
How should episcleritis be managed?
Symptomatic relief, artificial tears and topical/systemic NSAIDs
What are some features of scleritis?
Constant, severe dull ache which bores into eye
Ocular movements are painful, headache, photophobia
White patches within the red eye