optical terminology Flashcards
what is optometry?
practice of checking eye health and vision
what is px?
the patient/customer
what is rx?
the optical prescription
what are spectacles?
for holding ophthalmic lenses to correct refractive error
what is myopia?
being short sighted, wears a NEGATIVE powered lens
what is hyperopia?
being long sighted, wears a POSITIVE powered lens
what is emmetropia?
having no prescription
what is presbyopia?
someone who struggles to see close up (usually over 40 years)
what is dioptre?
the unit of measurement for lens power. written as DS, dioptre sphere.
in what steps is lens power measured in?
it is measured in quarter dioptre steps. 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00.
what is a prism?
it is used in spectacles to bend light to enter the eye. used for people with squints.
what is visual acuity?
(VA) corresponds to the lowest line that can be read on the test chart. biggest letter- 6/60 , smallest letter- 6/5
what is amblyopia?
having better vision in one eye than the other
spherical eye
round like a football (Sph)
what is astigmatism?
when the front surface of a normal eye is round like a football, but the eyes are shaped more oval like a rugby ball.
what does astigmatism affect?
it affects the path of light so that the image formed at the back of the eye is not sharply focused (commonly Cyl)
what is single vision?
one prescription for a given distance.
what is bifocal?
mainly used as large distance vision area with a separate, distinct area for near vision. this can be a line.
what is trifocal?
3 distinct areas for vision, distance, intermediate and near; again marked with lines
what is multifocal?
one lens with 2 or more foci, usually worn by presbyopes.
what is progressive powered lenses (PALS)?
these are lenses which have no line but are divided into distance, intermediate and near vision.