Retinal disorders

Question 1

What is the macula?

Answer 1

Small area at the centre of the retina responsible for what we see straight in front of us in the centre of the visual field

Question 2

What s the fundus of the eye?

Answer 2

Interior surface of the eye opposite the lens and includes retina, optic disc, macula, fovea and posterior pole

Question 3

What does biometry measure?

Answer 3

lens power

Question 4

What does perimetry measure?

Answer 4

field of vision

Question 5

Briefly explain what fluorescein angiography is

Answer 5

inject dye into systemic circulation to view the retinal and choroid circulation using different wavelengths of light

Question 6

What is the physiological blind spot?

Answer 6

optic nerve (disc)

Question 7

What is electrophysiology?

Answer 7

Series of investigations recording electrical signals from the eye, optic nerve and brain in response to visual stimuli

Question 8

What does electroretinogram measure the function of?

Answer 8

retina - action potentials

Question 9

What does electrooculogram measure the function of?

Answer 9

RPE - retinal pigment and photoreceptor

Question 10

What does visually evoked action potentials record function of?

Answer 10

optic nerve - visual cortex in response to checker board/flashing light

Question 11

List some investigations for retinal pathology

Answer 11

visual acuity, visual fields, pupillary response

fundoscopy, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence topography, electrophysiology

Question 12

Sudden painless loss of vision examples

Answer 12

central retinal artery/vein occlusion
ischaemic optic neuropathy
stroke

Question 13

Common causes of central retinal vein occlusion

Answer 13

hypertension, glaucoma, hyperviscosity, inflammation

Question 14

Common causes of central retinal artery occlusion

Answer 14

emboli - carotids/heart

inflammation

Question 15

What is ischaemic optic neuropathy due to?

Answer 15

optic nerve loses blood supply from ophthalmic arteries

Question 16

Giant cell arteritis - symptoms and investigations

Answer 16

headache, neck and jaw pain, nausea, tender scalp, vision loss
temporal artery biopsy and increased inflammatory markers

Question 17

Symptoms and signs of optic neuritis

Answer 17

headache, pain on moving eye, reduced vision, swollen optic disc, central scotoma, red discolouration

Question 18

Gradual painless loss of vision causes

Answer 18

age related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, dystrophies

Question 19

Risk factors for age related macular dystrophy

Answer 19

smoking, age, poor diet

Question 20

How does age related macular dystrophy present?

Answer 20

gradual loss of central vision

Question 21

Name the 2 types of age related macular degeneration and give a brief outline of these

Answer 21

wet- neovascualar eg blood, fluid

dry - atrophy

Question 22

List some abnormal findings in fundoscopy with diabetic retinopathy

Answer 22

cotton wool spots, exudate, microaneurysms, vascular anomalies and maculo oedema

Question 23

What are retinal dystrophies?

Answer 23

Series of inherited conditions affecting photoreceptor function leading to progressive loss of vision

Question 24

Name some types of retinal dystrophies

Answer 24

photoreceptor, RPE, choroidal and vitreoretinal

Question 25

What is retinis pigmentosa?

Answer 25

night blindness affecting the rods

Question 26

How is gene therapy used in retinal dystrophy and why?

Answer 26

viral vector to replace missing genes - dystrophy means inherited and retinal dystrophies are usually genetic