Opthamology Clinical Correlates Flashcards
What are the 8 components of a complete eye exam?
- vision
- external anatomy
- pupils
- ocular motility
- anterior segment
- ophthalmoscopy (dilated)
- IOP
- visual fields
What are the 3 most common eye issues?
cataracts
macular degeneration
glaucoma
What is a cataract?
an opacity of the normally clear lens, caused by age, metabolic disorder, trauma or heredity

Surgery for cataracts isn’t done immediately. What are the 3 indications that surgery is necessary?
the severity of visual loss is great
functional needs of the patient
need to improve view of the posterior segment of the eye to care for other ocular pathology
After what age does macular degernation start becoming very common>
after age 50, but over 70 in particular
What segment of vision is lost in macular degeneration?
central vision
What are the two types of macular degeneration?
dry and wet
What are the signs of dry macular degeneration?
drusen, pigmentation changes, retina atrophy
WHat happens in wet macular degeneration
the defect develps in the deep retinal layers
growth o f blood vessens under the retina - they’re are new and leaky vessels that lead to edema and hemorrhage
the hemorrhage eventually turns fibrotic as it heals, leading to scarring and serious loss of vision
WHat are the treatment options for dry macular degeneration?
- quite smoking
- take AREDs nutritional supplements
- manage systemic diseases like HTN
What are the treatments for wet macular degeneration?
anti-vegf drugs like avastin to disrupt formation of new blooc vessels
conventional laser treatments if those don’t work
What vitamins are helpful in macular degeneration?
antioxidant vitamins - beta carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E
minerals zinc and copper
Why do newer vitamin formulas omit the beta carotene?
in smokers, beta carotene increases risk of lung CA
In general, what happens in glaucoma?
increased ocular pressure causes optic nerve loss
What are the two main types of glaucoma?
open angle and narrow angle (acute)
In general, what is the treatment for glaucoma?
lower the eye pressure via medical or surgical (laser) means
Describe normal aqueous flow.
the aqueous humor is formed near the ciliary body and then flows through the pupil over the iris down to the trabecular meshwork where it’s absorbed thorugh schlemm’s canal into the aqueous vein
then it drains into the episcleral vein in the conjunctiva

WHat happens in open angle glaucoma?
the trabecular meshwork degrades such that the aqueous humor doesn’t drain appropriately and pressure builds up
How will the appearance of the optic disc look different on exam in glaucoma?
you’ll get optic nerve cupping = enlarged cup due to loss of rim tissue
this indicates loss of optic nerve fibers
What are the signs of glaucoma?
pressure over 30 mmHg
optic nerve cupping = optic nerve tissue loss
shrinking of visual fields/progressive blind spots
What technique can be used to quantify loss of optic nerve tissue?
optical coherence tomography (OCT)
What are the two basic strategies of glaucoma medications?
decrease IOP by decreasing aqueous production or increases outflow
Which form of glaucoma is an eye emergency?
narrow angle = acute glaucoma
WHat are the symptoms of acute glaucoma?
acute onset
severe pain with loss of vision
maybe nausea, vomiting
red eye
cloudy cornea
extremely high ocular pressure, over 40 mmHg

