Visual, Hearing, Vestibular system Flashcards
What protects the eye?
- Bony socket in skull
- Eyelids: shutters to protect from environmental hazards
- Eyelashes: trap fine, airborne debris before falling into the eye
- Tears: lacrimal glands and conjunctiva lubricate, cleanse and act as bacteriocide.
What are the three tissue layers that enclose the eye?
- Sclera/cornea,
- choroid/ciliarybody/iris
- Retina
What is the sclera?
Tough outer layer of connective tissue, forms visible white part of the eye
What is the cornea?
Anterior, transparent layer continuous with sclera that allows passage of light rays
What is the choroid?
Middle layer underneath sclera which contains blood vessels that nourish retina and contain melanin under retina for absorption of light
What is the ciliary body?
Continuous tissue of muscle from choroid layer that controls the curving and flattening of the lens.
what is the retina?
Innermost layer under choroid consisting of outer pigment cells, rods and cones, and axons of visual nerve fibres.
What are the two fluid filled cavities separated by the lens?
- Vitreous humor: gelatinous, between lens and retina
- Aqueous humor: fluid, between cornea and lens
What is the iris?
Contains circular and radial smooth muscle that control the amount of light entering the eye.
What is the pupil?
Opening through which light enters the eye
What is the lens?
Part of eye that bends light to focus it on the retina.
What is the tapetum lucidum?
Additional reflective layer within the choroid that reflects light back towards retina. It improves sensitivity of vision under low light but causes blurriness in high light.
Why do we change pupil size?
Control of light for optimization of light and dark conditions and providing a wide dynamic range.
What is the relationship between depth of field and pupil size?
Small aperture (pupil size) = large depth of field
Large aperture (pupil size) = small depth of field
What causes pupil size to change?
Parasympathetic stimulation contracts circular muscle, constricting pupil
Sympathetic stimulation contracts radial muscle, dilating pupil
How does the lens work?
Light from distant source must enter parallel for the lens to focus the image on the retina. If the image is close, the light is not parallel and the lens must become strong and round to keep it in focus.
What is accomodation?
Change in strength of lens to focus on an image, regulated by effect of parasympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system on ciliary muscle.