Structure and Function of the Eye Flashcards
What are the different parts of the eye?
- upper and lower eyelid
- palpebral fissure
- lateral canthus
- pupil
- iris
- sclera
- medial canthus
- caruncle
- limbus
What are the types of tears?
Basal tears
Reflex tears – in response to irritation
- Afferent CN V1, Efferent PNS
Crying tears
How are tears produced?
Lacrimal system
tears produced in lacrimal glands -> drain through two puncta -> through sup. and inf. Canaliculi -> collect in tear sac and drain through tear duct into nose
What are the properties of the tear film?
- Maintains smooth corneal-air surface
- Facilitates oxygen supply to cornea
- Removes debris
- Bactericide
What are the layers of the tear film?
Superficial oily layer – reduce tear film evaporation
- Produced by Meibomian glands
Aqueous layer – produced by tear gland
Mucin layer – maintains wet corneal surface
What is the conjunctiva?
a thin transparent tissue that covers the outside surface of the eye
Begins at the outer edge of the cornea and covers the visible surface of the eye and lines the eyelids
Nourished by near-invisible blood vessels
What are the layers of the coat of the eye?
Retina – a thin layer of photo-sensitive tissue that captures light rays
Choroid – is a component of the uvea (iris, ciliary body and choroid) and is composed of layers of blood vessels
Sclera – a tough opaque white tissue that covers the outside of the eye and is CONTINUOUS with the cornea
- High water content.
What are the layers of the cornea?
- Epithelium
- Bowman’s membrane
- Stroma – thickest layer, contains nerve endings
- Descemet’s membrane
- Endothelium – pumps fluid OUT of cornea and prevents corneal oedema.
- Only 1 cell thick and has NO capacity to regenerate
- Cell density decreases with age and can result in corneal oedema and corneal cloudiness
- LOW water content
- Provides 2/3rds of the eye’s focussing power
- ** Higher refractive index than air, convex
What is the uvea?
the vascular coat of the eye ball that lies between the sclera and the retina
Composed of 3 parts;
- iris - contorls light levels inside eye
- ciliary body
- choroid - nourishes back of eye
Close connections of the structures mean disease of one often affect the other two
Describe the structure and the function of the eye?
Structure - Outer Acellular Capsule - Regular inner elongated cell fibres – transparency - May loose transparency with age – Cataract
Function - Transparency > Regular structure - Refractive Power > 1/3 power > Higher refractive index than aqueous fluid and vitreous - Accommodation > Elasticity
What suspends the lens?
fibrous ring called the lens zonules and consists of passive connective tissue
What is the retina?
The retina is a very thin
layer of tissue that lines the inner part of the eye.
It is responsible for
capturing the light rays that enter the eye.
These light impulses are
then sent to the brain for processing, via the optic
nerve.
What is the macula?
located temporal to the optic nerve and is a small and highly sensitive part of the retina involved in detailed central vision
fovea is the very centre of the macula - allows us to have very focused vision
What are the segments of the eye?
The segments are divided by the lens
Anterior:
- Between the cornea and the lens
- Filled with clear fluid (aqueous humour) and provides nutrients
Posterior:
Filled with vitreous humour
How is aqueous produced?
produced by ciliary body
Aqueous flows into the posterior chamber -> flows into the posterior chamber -> into the scleral angle (with trabecular meshwork)
The aqueous is then absorbed via two methods:
- Uveal-scleral Outflow – aqueous leaks between the sclerous and the choroid
- 20% of drainage
- Prostaglandin analogues target this. - Schlemm’s canal & TM – aqueous goes to blood stream
- 80% of drainage