Visual, Auditory, Vestibular systems Flashcards
presbyopia
age related impairment of near vision
if a pt has difficulty reading the Snellen chart what additional test can you do to see if glasses would correct the problem
have them try to read it when looking through a pin hole.
If that corrects the vision the it is an ocular problem and glasses are needed
what does a acuity problem that does not correct indicate
if it doesn’t correct there may be a lesion of the optic nerve or macula
what is a highly accurate way to record visual fields
using Perimetry, a computer flashes dots of light on the screen and the patient presses a button when seen
what causes the physiologic blind spot
where the optic disk is in the nasal retina since there are no rods or cones there
when may a patients blind spot be enlarged
papilledema
what is papilledema
when increased intracranial pressure causes the optic nerve to appear swollen
what is a scotoma
a pathological, abnormal bind spot (not at the optic disc) in the visual field of one eye where vision is lost or decreased
what causes a scotoma
lesions in the retina (infections, inflammation, macular degeneration, or retinal detachments) or optic nerve (demyelination or ischemia)
what would you call an abnormally narrowed or mall visual field
constricted or contracted visual fields
what could cause a constricted or contracted visual field
glaucoma or a retinal degenerative disease
when is a constricted visual field likely due to a psychiatric problem
if it doesn’t expand in a cone-shaped fashion = tunnel vision
what is a homonymous hemianopsia
a deficit of the nasal half of one eye and the temporal half of the other eye’s visual fields
where is a lesion located that presents with macular sparing
occipital lobe
how does congruence change with the location of a lesion affecting the visual tracts
congruence increased when the lesion is more posterior
what is a heteronymous hemianopsia
a visual deficit involving the nasal halves of bother eyes or the temporal halves of both eyes
where would a lesion causing a heteronymous hemianopsia be located
the optic chiasm
what would someone with a optic chiasm lesions visual fields look like
heteronymous hemianopsia - loss of both temporal visual fields
what is the most common causes of acute unilateral optic nerve lesions
demyelination (MS or ischemia)
how does MS frequently initially present
optic neuritis - may have sudden blindness of part or all of one eye which may feel achy or tender with eye movement, pupils constrict poorly when light is shone in the affected eye but both react normally when light is shone in the other eye
in optic neuritis what is seen on fundoscopic examination
the optic disc appears swollen with indistinct, blurry margins.
exception is retrobulbar neuritis where the inflammation is further back along the optic nerve therefore the disc looks normal
how does optic atrophy appear on fundoscopic exam
optic disc appears more white or pale with sharply defined edges