Opthalmology 1 Flashcards
What is glaucoma?
optic nerve damage caused by a rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) due to a blockage in aqueous humour trying to escape the eye.
There are two types of glaucoma:
Open-angle glaucoma
Acute angle-closure glaucoma
What is normal intraocular pressure?
10-21 mmHg
It is created by the resistance to flow of aqueous humour through the trabecular meshwork
What is the difference between the pathophysiology of open angle glaucoma and acute closed angle glaucoma?
With open-angle glaucoma, there is a gradual increase in resistance to flow through the trabecular meshwork. The pressure slowly builds within the eye.
With acute angle-closure glaucoma, the iris bulges forward and seals off the trabecular meshwork from the anterior chamber, preventing aqueous humour from draining. This causes an acute build up of pressure.
Raised intraocular pressure causes cupping of the optic disc.
What is this?
In the centre of the optic disc is an indent called the optic cup, which is usually less than 50% of the size of the optic disc.
Raised intraocular pressure causes this indent to become wider and deeper, described as “cupping”. A cup-disk ratio greater than 0.5 is abnormal.
Risk factors for open-angle glaucoma include:
Increasing age
Family history
Black ethnic origin
Myopia (nearsightedness)
Hypertension
Diabetes mellitus
Corticosteroids
In open-angle glaucoma, the rise in IOP may be asymptomatic for a long time and diagnosed by routine eye testing.
How may it present if symptomatic?
Peripheral visual field loss
Decreased visual acuity (blurred vision)
Fluctuating pain
Headaches
Halos around lights, particularly at night
What are the methods for measuring intraocular pressure?
Non-contact tonometry:
shooting a “puff of air” at the cornea and measuring the corneal response
less accurate but good for general screening purposes
Goldmann applanation tonometry:
gold-standard
device mounted on a slip lamp that makes contact with the cornea and applies various pressures
How can open-angle glaucoma be investigated?
Visual field assessment for peripheral vision loss
Goldmann applanation tonometry for the intraocular pressure
Slit lamp assessment for the cup-disk ratio and optic nerve health
Gonioscopy to assess the angle between the iris and cornea
Central corneal thickness assessment
How does open-angle glaucoma present on fundoscopy?
- Optic disc cupping - cup-to-disc ratio >0.7, loss of disc substance makes optic cup widen and deepen
- Optic disc pallor - indicating optic atrophy
- Bayonetting of vessels - vessels have breaks as they disappear into the deep cup and re-appear at the base
When is treatment initiated for open-angle glaucoma?
at an intraocular pressure of 24 mmHg or above
How can open-angle glaucoma be managed?
Prostaglandin analogue eye drops (e.g., latanoprost) are the first-line medical treatment - increase uveoscleral outflow
360° selective laser trabeculoplasty - laser is directed at the trabecular meshwork, improving drainage
What are the potential side effects of prostaglandin analogue eye drops e.g. lantanoprost?
eyelash growth, eyelid pigmentation and iris pigmentation (browning)
Other than prostaglandin analogues, what eye drops may be used in the mx of open angle glaucoma?
Beta-blockers (e.g., timolol) reduce the production of aqueous humour
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (e.g., dorzolamide) reduce the production of aqueous humour
Sympathomimetics (e.g., brimonidine) reduce the production of aqueous fluid and increase the uveoscleral outflow
Risk factors for acute angle-closure glaucoma include:
Increasing age
Family history
Female (four times more likely than males)
Chinese and East Asian ethnic origin
Shallow anterior chamber
What medications can precipitate acute angle-closure glaucoma?
Adrenergic medications (e.g., noradrenaline)
Anticholinergic medications (e.g., oxybutynin and solifenacin)
Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g., amitriptyline), which have anticholinergic effects
How do patients with acute angle-closure glaucoma present?
Severely painful red eye
Decreased visual acuity (blurred vision)
Halos around lights
Associated headache, nausea and vomiting
Symptoms worse with mydriasis (e.g. watching TV in a dark room)
What may be seen on examination of patients with acute angle-closure glaucoma?
Red eye
Hazy cornea
Semi-dilated non-reactive pupil
Hard eyeball on gentle palpation
Decreased visual acuity
How can acute angle closure glaucoma be investigated?
tonometry to assess for elevated IOP
gonioscopy (looking, oscopy, at the angle, gonio): a special lens for the slit lamp that allows visualisation of the angle
How can acute angle closure glaucoma be managed in the community?
Acute angle-closure glaucoma requires immediate admission!
Measures while waiting for an ambulance are:
Lying the patient on their back without a pillow
Pilocarpine eye drops (2% for blue and 4% for brown eyes)
Acetazolamide 500 mg orally
Analgesia and an antiemetic, if required
How does pilocarpine work?
acts on the muscarinic receptors in the sphincter muscles in the iris and causes pupil constriction (it is a miotic agent)
also causes ciliary muscle contraction
opens up the pathway for the flow of aqueous humour
How does Acetazolamide work?
a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor that reduces the production of aqueous humour
How can acute angle closure glaucoma be managed in secondary care?
Pilocarpine eye drops
IV Acetazolamide
Hyperosmotic agents (e.g. IV mannitol)
Timolol, Dorzolamide - both reduce the production of aqueous humour via different mechanisms
Brimonidine - reduces aqueous humour production and increases uveoscleral outflow
What is usually required as definitive mx for acute angle closure glaucoma once the initial attack has settled ?
Laser iridotomy - involves making a hold in the iris using a laser, which allows the aqueous humour to flow directly from the posterior chamber to the anterior chamber
What is the most common cause of blindness in the UK?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive condition affecting the macula. What are the two types?
Wet (also called neovascular), accounting for 10% of cases - characterised by choroidal neovascularisation
Dry (also called non-neovascular), accounting for 90% of cases - characterised by drusen
The macula is found in the centre of the retina. It generates high-definition colour vision in the central visual field.
What are its 4 layers?
Choroid layer (at the base), which contains the blood vessels that supply the macula
Bruch’s membrane
Retinal pigment epithelium
Photoreceptors (towards the surface)
What are Drusen?
yellowish deposits of proteins and lipids between the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch’s membrane
A few small drusen can be normal in older patients
Frequent and larger drusen can be an early sign of macular degeneration
What features are common to wet and dry AMD?
Atrophy of the retinal pigmented epithelium
Degeneration of the photoreceptors
What is the pathophysiology of wet AMD?
new vessels develop from the choroid layer and grow into the retina (neovascularisation)
these vessels can leak fluid or blood, causing oedema and faster vision loss
vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the target of medications for AMD
Give some risk factors for AMD?
Older age
Family history
Smoking (x2 risk)
Cardiovascular disease (e.g., hypertension)
Obesity
Poor diet (low in vitamins and high in fat)
How does AMD typically present?
Visual changes associated with AMD tend to be unilateral, with:
Gradual loss of central vision
Reduced visual acuity
Crooked or wavy appearance to straight lines (metamorphopsia)
Worsening night vision
Patients often present with a gradually worsening ability to read small text.
How does wet AMD present differently to dry AMD?
Wet AMD presents more acutely than dry AMD. Vision loss can develop within days and progress to complete vision loss within 2-3 years.
It often progresses to bilateral disease.
What are the key points used to differentiate between glaucoma and AMD?
Glaucoma is associated with peripheral vision loss and halos around lights
AMD is associated with central vision loss and a wavy appearance to straight lines
What are the key examination findings for AMD?
Reduced visual acuity using a Snellen chart
Scotoma (an enlarged central area of vision loss)
Amsler grid test can be used to assess for the distortion of straight lines seen in AMD
Drusen may be seen during fundoscopy
What is the name for the visual hallucination syndrome associated with AMD?
Charles-Bonnet syndrome
What investigations can be done for AMD?
slit-lamp microscopy is the initial investigation of choice
fluorescein angiography if wet ARMD is suspected
optical coherence tomography is used to visualise the retina in three dimensions because it can reveal areas of disease which aren’t visible using microscopy alone
How can dry AMD be managed?
Management involves monitoring and reducing the risk of progression by:
Avoiding smoking
Controlling blood pressure
Vitamin supplementation has some evidence in slowing progression
How can wet AMD be managed?
Anti-VEGF medications (e.g., ranibizumab, aflibercept and bevacizumab) - injected directly into the vitreous chamber of the eye, usually about once a month.
What is the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy?
Hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar) damages the retinal small vessels and endothelial cells.
Damage to the blood vessel walls leads to microaneurysms and venous beading
Increased vascular permeability leads to leaking blood vessels, blot haemorrhages and hard exudates
Damage to nerve fibres in the retina causes fluffy white patches called cotton wool spots to form on the retina
Diabetic retinopathy is classified based on the findings on fundus examination.
What are the different types?
non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), proliferative retinopathy (PDR) and maculopathy
What are the key features of non proliferative diabetic retinopathy?
due to direct damage to vessels:
microaneurysms
venous beading
intraretinal microvascular abnormalities (IRMA)
due to increased vascular permeability:
blot haemorrhages
hard exudates
due to damage to nerves:
cotton wool spots
What do cotton wool spots represent?
they are soft exudates
they represent infarction in the nerve fibre layer
What are the key features of proliferative diabetic retinopathy?
retinal neovascularisation - may lead to vitreous haemorrhage
fibrous tissue forming anterior to retinal disc
more common in Type I DM, 50% blind in 5 years
What does diabetic maculopathy involve?
Exudates within the macula
Macular oedema