The Eye Flashcards
What are the 4 sources that the eyes are derived from?
Neuroectoderm, Surface ectoderm, Mesoderm, & Neural Crest Cells
What 3 things does neuroectoderm differentiate into?
“RIO”
Retina, Iris, & Optic Nerve
What 2 things does surface ectoderm form?
lens and EPIthelium of the cornea
What does mesoderm give rise to?
The fibrous and vascular coats of the eye.
What do neural crest cells differentiate into?
choroid, sclera, & ENDOthelium of the cornea
Are both the endothelium and epithelium of the cornea derived from the same source?
NO!
Endothelium = neural crest cells
Epithelium = surface ectoderm
At what day do the eyes appear?
Day 22
Where do the eyes originate?
On the sides of the forebrain.
How is the lens placode formed?
Formed by changes of the optic vesicles which are induced by contact with surface ectoderm.
Where do retinal fissures develop?
On the ventral surfaces of the optic cups and along the optic stalks.
What gives rise to the hyaloid vessels?
Vascular Mesenchyme from the retinal fissures
Formational order for the primordia of the eyes?
Shallow grooves (form)-> optic vesicles (form) -> lens placode, optic cups, and optic stalks.
What does the retina develop from?
walls of the optic cups
layers of the optic cups & what they form in the retina
- outer thinner layer forms the pigmented layer of the retina
- inner thicker layer forms the neural layer of the retina
What do the cells of the neural layer of the retina differentiate into?
Hint: Neural layer is the posterior part of the retina.
- cones & rods (photoreceptors)
2. bipolar and ganglion cells (cell bodies of neurons)
What 3 layers does the mantle layer of the retina give rise to?
- outer nuclear layer
- inner nuclear layer
- ganglion cell layer
What forms the optic nerve aka cranial nerve 2?
The optic stalk together with the ganglion cells.
Besides the optic nerve, what else does the optic stalk and ganglion cells form?
optic chiasm and optic tract
What part of the brain is the optic nerve a tract of?
Diencephalon
When is the optic nerve completed myelinated?
10 weeks (3 months) after birth by oligodendrocytes due to exposure to light
What are the most common eye anomalies a result of?
Defects in closure of the retinal fissures
What is a retinal coloboma and why does it occur?
A local gap in the retina which results from defective closure of the retinal fissure.
Extra: It is bilateral & located inferior to the optic disc in most cases.
What is a coloboma of the iris and what causes it?
It is a defect in the inferior sector of the iris or a notch in the pupillary margin. It results from failure of closure of the retinal fissure during week 6 of development.
Extra: It may involve only the iris or extend deeper into the ciliary body and retina.
What causes Congenital Detachment of the Retina?
This defect occurs when the inner and outer layers of the optic cup fail to fuse during the fetal period to form the retina and obliterate the intraretinal space.
What tests can you perform to diagnose a congenital detachment of the retina?
Fundoscopic Exam & Optical Coherence Tomography
What other disorders does congenital detachment of the retina occur in conjunction with?
It occurs in conjunction with other syndromes such as Down syndrome and Marfan syndrome.
In detachment of the retina, how are the neural and pigmented layers separated?
They may be separated partially or completely.
What causes Retinal Detachment in general?
Retinal detachment may result from unequal rates of growth of the two retinal layers; as a result, the layers of the optic cup are not in perfect apposition. Sometimes the layers of the optic cup appear to have fused and separated later; such secondary detachments usually occur in association with other defects of the eye and head or trauma.
What is cyclopia?
In this rare anomaly, the eyes are partially or completely fused, forming a single median eye enclosed in a single orbit.
What is associated with cyclopia? And is it compatible with life?
Cyclopia (single midline eye) and synophthalmia (fusion of eyes) represent a spectrum of ocular defects. These severe eye defects are associated with other craniocerebral defects that are incompatible with life.
What structure forms superior to a cyclopia?
There is usually a tubular nose (proboscis) superior to the eye.
What causes cyclopia?
Cyclopia appears to result from holoprosencephaly which is severe suppression of midline cerebral structures. — these structures develop from the cranial part of the neural plate.
Microphtalmia
The eye may be very small with other ocular defects or it may be a normal appearing rudimentary eye. The affected side of the face is underdeveloped and the orbit is small. It may be associated with other congenital anomalies.
What does severe microphthalmia result from?
Severe microphthalmia results from arrested development of the eye before the optic vesicle has formed in the fourth week.
What does simple microphthalmia result from?
Some cases of microphthalmos are inherited. Most cases of simple microphthalmia are caused by infectious agents such as rubella virus, Toxoplasma Gondii, and herpes simplex virus. (All cross the placental membrane during the late embryonic and early fetal periods.)
Anophthalmia
Congenital absence of the eye. The eyelids form, but no eyeballs develop. Usually comes with other severe craniocerebral anomalies.
What causes primary anophthalmos?
Early in the fourth week there is a failure in the eye vesicle to form.
What causes secondary anophthalmos?
This occurs when development of the forebrain is suppressed and absence of the eye or eyes is one of several anomalies.
What is the ciliary body an extension of?
It is an extension of the choroid.
What does the ciliary muscle develop from? And what is it’s function?
It develops from mesenchyme. The ciliary muscle is responsible for focusing the lens.
What forms ciliary processes?
Medial surface of ciliary body that projects towards the lens.