Sensory system disease Flashcards
Entropion
Inversion of the upper or lower eyelid
Ectropion
Eversion of the lower eyelid (away from the eyeball)
Distichiasis
Extra row of eyelashes
What clinical signs may be seen with eyelid conditions?
- Blepharospasm (excessive blinking)
- Increased lacrimation
- Ocular discharge
- Third eyelid protrusion
What treatment and nursing care can be done for patients with eyelid conditions?
- Anti-inflammatory eyedrops
- Antibacterial eyedrops
- Surgical correction
What are the possible causes of conjunctivitis?
- Bacterial infection
- Viral infection (herpes)
- Allergies (eg. pollen)
- Foreign body
What diagnostics and clinical signs may be seen with conjunctivitis?
Diagnostics:
- Visual examination
- Corneoconjunctival culture (local anaesthetic on eye, take swab and send off for culture)
Clinical signs:
- Blepharospasm
- Increased lacrimation
- Oedema
- Conjunctival hyperaemia (red conjunctiva)
- Ocular discharge
What nursing care and treatment is done for conjunctivitis?
Nursing care:
- Prevention of self-trauma and interference
- Bathe eyes to remove any discharge
- Apply medication as needed
Treatment:
- Antibiotic eyedrops
- Anti-inflammatory eyedrops
- Antiviral eyedrops
- Antihistamine eyedrops
- Surgical correction of eyelid deformities
What is Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS)?
Dry eye due to a reduction in aqueous tear production (A.K.A dry eye)
What clinical signs may be present for KCS/dry eye?
- Vascularisation (creates blood vessels and move to eye, impairing vision)
- Ulceration
- Opacity of the cornea
- Recurrent conjunctivitis
- Mucoid or mucopurulent discharge on and around the surface of the eye
What are the diagnostics, treatments and nursing care implications for KCS/dry eye?
Diagnostics:
-Schirmer tear test
Treatment & nursing care:
- Tear substitutes
- Antibiotic eyedrops if infected
- Anti-inflammatory eyedrops
- Good ocular hygiene
What is the normal reading in a schemer tear test?
15-25mm/min
What is a corneal ulceration?
- Wound/abrasion on the corneal surface
- Common condition which varies in severity
What are the causes of corneal ulcerations?
- Eyelash/eyelid disorders
- Foreign body
- Trauma
- KCS/dry eye
- Infection
- Direct trauma (eg. hibiscrub)
What clinical signs may be seen with corneal ulceration?
- Ocular pain
- Ocular discharge
- Blepharospasm
- Increased lacrimation
What diagnostics can be done for corneal ulceration?
- Visual inspection
- Fluorescein dye
What treatment and nursing care is done for corneal ulcerations?
- Antibiotic eyedrops
- EDTA serum drops
- Analgesia
- Bandage contact lenses
- Close monitoring
- Prevention of patient interference
- Careful medication regimes
- Surgical procedures
What is Uveitis?
Inflammation of the iris
What are some clinical signs seen with uveitis?
- Pain
- Blepharospasm
- Miotic (constriction) pupil
- Red eye
- Photophobia
- Lacrimation
- Reduced intraocular pressure
What are the treatment and nursing care implications for uveitis?
- Treatment of underlying cause
- Topical atropine (dilates pupils)
- Topical corticosteroids or NSAIDs
- System corticosteroids or NSAIDs
- Constant monitoring allowing for evaluation
- Low lighting
- Careful medication regimes
What is glaucoma?
An elevation in intraocular pressure due to inadequate drainage of aqueous humour within the globe
What are the clinical signs of glaucoma?
- Painful red eye(s)
- Corneal oedema
- Swelling of globe
- Dilated pupil
- Retinal damage
What diagnostics can be done for glaucoma?
- Examination
- Measuring intraocular pressure
What treatment and nursing care can be done for glaucoma?
- Emergency medical treatment to reduce intraocular pressure
- Analgesia
- Specialist treatment
- Enucleation
- Prevention of self trauma
- Careful following of medication regimes
- Monitoring intraocular pressure
What is tonometry and what are the normal values for dogs and cats?
- Evaluates force required to flatten the corneal surface
- Measures intraocular pressure (IOP)
- Dogs = 15-25 mmHg
- Cats = 20-30 mmHg
- High IOP = glaucoma
- Low IOP = uveitis
What is cataracts?
Clouding of the lens resulting in reduction/absence of vision
What nursing care can be done for patients with cataracts/blindness?
- Don’t change environment
- Consistent routine
- Safe friend
- Corner protectors on sharp objects
- Noise stimulation
- Blind dog “halo”
