Visual System Flashcards
What is the optic disk?
exit of the CNII Optic Nerve
What does the optic disk produce?
a “blind spot”
What does the macula lutea contain?
central fovea (pit)
What are the four cell layers of the retina?
- Pigment Layer
2 and 3. Layer of Rods and Cones - Ganglion Cell Layer
What is the pigment layer derived from?
choroid
What does the pigment cell layer attach to the eyeball?
retina
What is the function of the pigment cell layer?
absorbs stray light
What is the funcion of the layer of rods and cones?
light receptors
Where are rods located?
periphery of retina
What is the function of rods?
for low light vision and perception of movement
Where are the cones located?
concentrated in central retina
Does the fovea contain only rods or cones?
cones
What is the significance of the fovea?
area of maximum visual acuity, color and brightness discrimination.
mylenated axons of the ganglion cell layer for what?
CNII Optic Nerve
Ganglion cells describe
receptive fields
In the normal eye, how is the orientation of the object focused on the retina?
inverted
What is light refracted by in the eye?
cornea, aqueous humor, lens, and vitreous humor
What is the function of the lens?
The lens is a device for changing the refractive power. Changes in refractive power are accomplished by changing the shape of the lens.
The lens is made ___ for close viewing, and ___ for distant viewing.
Rounder for close viewing and flatter for distant viewing.
The change in refractive power which allows the viewing of near objects is called ___
accomodation
To view a near object, the lens must increase its refractive power by becoming more
convex (rounder)
At rest, the lens is held in a relatively ___ shape
flat
At rest the lens is held in a relatively flat shape by the
suspensory fibers that connect it to the ciliary muscle.
To accomodate for near vision, the ciliary muscle ___
contracts reducing tension on the suspensory fibers
Due to the lens’ natural elasticity, it contracts to a more ___ shape.
spherical
Contraction of the ciliary muscles is controlled by
parasmypathetic nervie fibers
What is Emmetropia?
the normally occurring condition in which the image of an object is focused on the retinal surface.
What is Hypermetropia?
(far-sightnedness) - the focal point falls behind the retinal surface.
What is Myopia?
(near-sightnedness) - the focal point falls in front of the retina
What is Presbyopia?
is the loss of lens elasticity with age
What is the function of bifocals?
part of the lens that corrects for distance and a part that corrects for near vision due to loss of lens elasticity with age.
What are the two types of photoreceptors?
- Rods
2. Cones
Is excitation threshold low or high for rods?
low excitation threshold
Are rods used in dim or high light conditions?
dim conditions (low excitation threshold)
Is rod acuity poor or high?
Poor
Why doesn’t it matter that rod acuity is poor?
because when light is low, you can’t see small objects anyway.
Is excitation threshold low or high for cones?
high
Are cones used in dim or high light conditions?
high light (high excitation threshold
Is cone acuity low or high?
Acuity is high
Do rods or cones provide color vision?
cones
What is the ability to distinguish color due to?
the presence of three separate cone populations, each of which is maximally sensitive to different wavelength of light: blue, green, and red.
What is perception of other colors due to?
relative excitation of the different populations of cones.
What is colorblindness due to?
absence of one or more of the cone populations
For neural coding of visual signals, generator potentials originating in receptors are transmitted to what type of cell?
bipolar cells
For neural coding of visual signals, generator potentials originating in receptors are transmitted to bipolar cells and then
altered by other cells in the retina
What are the two separate systems in which the neural coding of visual signals can be visualized?
Vertical System
Horizontal System
What is the Vertical System for neural coding of visual signals?
signals pass from receptor to bipolar cells to ganglion cells
What is the Horizontal System for neural coding of visual signals
horizontal and amicrine cells provide lateral interactions (lateral inhibition) between the different vertical system components
What is the function of ganglion cells?
Ganglion cells are the final stage of retinal processing, and tasmit information to subcortical visual centers in the brain?
Axons of ganglion cells form the
optic nerve
Receptive Field Definition
the receptive field (RF) of a ganglion cell is defined as that area in visual space (or the corresponding area of retinal surface, which upon illumination, influences the signaling of that neuron.
How have ganglion cells been subdivided?
on the basis of their response duration or morphology.
What are “sustained” ganglion cells?
cells that respond as long as the stimulus remains within the receptive field.
What are “transient” ganglion cells?
cells that respond only when the light it turned on of off