Vision lectures Flashcards
what is refraction?
when light rays bend to form a sharp image on the retina
what is accommodation?
the changes occurring in both eyes as it changes focus from a distant to a close object
what causes refractive errors?
when there is a mismatch between how much we bend light rays in each eye
what are the refractive media in the eyeball?
cornea
aqueous humor
lens
vitreous humor
what does the eye need to do when an object is closer to you to maintain a clear image on the retina?
needs to bend light rays more
what 3 processes occur simultaneously that comprise accommodation?
lens changes shape to become more spherical and thicker
pupil constricts
eyes converge
how does the lens thicken during accommodation?
1/ ciliary muscle contracts making the ciliary body bulge space in the middle decreases suspensory ligaments become lax lens is no longer under stretch lens becomes thicker
what muscle causes the pupil to constrict?
sphincter pupillae
what branch of the autonomic nervous system innervates the sphincter pupillae?
parasympathetic
where is the sphincter pupillae located?
around the border of the pupil
what muscles are responsible for the eyes converging during accommodation?
medial rectus muscles
what is myopia?
short sightedness
what is hyperopia?
long sightedness
what is astigmatism?
non spherical curvature of cornea (or lens)
what is presbyopia?
long sightedness of old age
what is the most common cause of myopia?
eyeball too long
what are symptoms of myopia?
divergent squint in infants
headaches, complain of not being able to see blackboards/distant objects
how is myopia corrected?
bending power is decreased using biconcave lenses:
spectacles
contact lenses
laser eye surgery
what is the most common cause of hyperopia?
eyeball too short or cornea + lens too flat
what objects appear hazy in astigmatism?
both close and distant objects
why does the chance of developing long sightedness increase with old age?
lens gets less mobile/elastic so when the ciliary muscle contracts it is not as capable of changing shape as it was before
what is phototransduction?
conversion of light energy to an electrochemical response by photoreceptors
what do rods and cones have to do in order to illicit an electrochemical response?
activate optic nerve neurons (generate an action potential)
what visual pigment is integrated in the lamellae of rods?
rhodopsin
what visual pigments are integrated in the lamellae of cones?
opsins S, M and L
what type of protein is rhodopsin?
integral transmembrane helical protein
what is the chromophore of rhodopsin formed from?
vitamin A
what happens when light forms on the 11-cis retinal?
it isomerises to all trans retinal
what happens to photoreceptors in the dark?
the are kept depolarised by open sodium/calcium channels
what happens in the phototransduction cascade when the Na+ channels close?
there is RELATIVE hyperpolarisation of photoreceptor cells
how are the photoreceptor cells truly hyperpoolarised?
flux of Ca+ ions to the synapse with bipolar cell, which ultimately stimulates the retinal cell
what will happen in any condition that affects vitamin A absorption?
vision will be affected, possibly leading to blindness. there will also be abnormal conjunctiva and corneal epithelium