Eye disorder

A non-neoplastic or neoplastic disorder that affects the eye. Representative examples include conjunctivitis, glaucoma, cataract, conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma, uveal melanoma, and retinoblastoma.

Glossary

• accommodation -  (physiology) the automatic adjustment in focal length of the lens of the eye; the act of providing something (lodging or seat or food) to meet a need; living quarters provided for public convenience; in the theories of Jean Piaget: the modification of internal representations in order to accommodate a changing knowledge of reality; a settlement of differences; making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances

• accommodation reflex -  reflex changes in the eyes that enable an object to be focused on the retina

• acne vulgaris -  the most common form of acne; usually affects people from puberty to young adulthood

• actinic keratosis -  an overgrowth of skin layers resulting from extended exposure to the sun

• adaptation -  (physiology) the responsive adjustment of a sense organ (as the eye) to varying conditions (as of light); a written work (as a novel) that has been recast in a new form; the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions)

• afterimage -  an image (usually a negative image) that persists after stimulation has ceased

• albinism -  the congenital absence of pigmentation in the eyes and skin and hair

• amaurosis -  partial or total loss of sight without pathology of the eye; caused by disease of optic nerve or retina or brain

• amblyopia -  visual impairment without apparent organic pathology

• aniseikonia -  visual defect in which the shape and size of an ocular image differ in the two eyes

• arcus senilis -  an whitish deposit in the shape of an arc that is sometimes seen in the cornea

• asthenopia -  a tiredness of the eyes caused by prolonged close work by a person with an uncorrected vision problem

• astigmatism -  (optics) defect in an optical system in which light rays from a single point fail to converge in a single focal point; (ophthalmology) impaired eyesight resulting usually from irregular conformation of the cornea

• binocular vision -  vision involving the use of both eyes

• bleb -  (pathology) an elevation of the skin filled with serous fluid

• blepharitis -  inflammation of the eyelids characterized by redness and swelling and dried crusts

• blepharospasm -  spasm of the eyelid muscle resulting in closure of the eye

• blind spot -  the point where the optic nerve enters the retina; not sensitive to light; a subject about which you are ignorant or prejudiced and fail to exercise good judgment

• blindness -  the state of being blind or lacking sight

• brightness -  the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white; intelligence as manifested in being quick and witty; the quality of being luminous; emitting or reflecting light

• cat scratch disease -  a disease thought to be transmitted to humans by a scratch from a cat

• cataract -  a large waterfall; violent rush of water over a precipice; clouding of the natural lens of the eye

• chalazion -  a small sebaceous cyst of the eyelid resulting when a Meibomian gland is blocked

• chemosis -  edema of the mucous membrane of the eyeball and eyelid lining

• color constancy -  the tendency for a color to look the same under widely different viewing conditions

• congenital - adj. present at birth but not necessarily hereditary; acquired during fetal development

• conjunctivitis -  inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye

• contrast -  the act of distinguishing by comparing differences; the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness); the perceptual effect of the juxtaposition of very different colors; the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared; a conceptual separation or distinction; verb put in opposition to show or emphasize differences; to show differences when compared; be different

• cranial nerve -  any of the 12 paired nerves that originate in the brain stem

• cyclopia -  a developmental abnormality in which there is only one eye

• dacryocystitis -  inflammation of the lacrimal sac causing obstruction of the tube draining tears into the nose

• dermoid cyst -  a cystic tumor (usually benign) with a wall lined with epithelium and a cavity containing other material

• dichromacy -  a deficiency of color vision in which the person can match any given hue by mixing only two other wavelengths of light (as opposed to the three wavelengths needed by people with normal color vision)

• diplopia -  visual impairment in which an object is seen as two objects

• dot -  the shorter of the two telegraphic signals used in Morse code; street name for lysergic acid diethylamide; the United States federal department that institutes and coordinates national transportation programs; created in 1966; a very small circular shape; verb mark with a dot; make a dot or dots; scatter or intersperse like dots or studs; distribute loosely

• down syndrome -  a congenital disorder caused by having an extra 21st chromosome; results in a flat face and short stature and mental retardation

• doxycycline -  an antibiotic derived from tetracycline that is effective against many infections

• ebola virus -  a filovirus that causes Ebola hemorrhagic fever; carried by animals; can be used as a bioweapon

• echography -  using the reflections of high-frequency sound waves to construct an image of a body organ (a sonogram); commonly used to observe fetal growth or study bodily organs

• eczema herpeticum -  eczema characterized by a feverish condition and widespread eruption of vesicles; most common in children

• electroretinogram -  a graphical recording of the electrical activity of the retina that results when light is flashed into the eye

• enucleation -  surgical removal of something without cutting into it

• episcleritis -  inflammation of the sclera of the eye

• esotropia -  strabismus in which one or both eyes turn inward toward the nose

• evisceration -  altering something (as a legislative act or a statement) in such a manner as to reduce its value; surgical removal of an organ (or the contents of an organ) from a patient; the act of removing the bowels or viscera; the act of cutting so as to cause the viscera to protrude

• exenteration -  surgical removal of the organs within a body cavity (as those of the pelvis)

• exotropia -  strabismus in which one or both eyes are directed outward

• eye -  a small hole or loop (as in a needle); the organ of sight; good discernment (either visually or as if visually); attention to what is seen; an area that is approximately central within some larger region; verb look at

• eye chart -  a chart that is read from a fixed distance; used as a test of vision

• eye contact -  contact that occurs when two people look directly at each other; a meeting of the eyes between two people that expresses meaningful nonverbal communication

• eye disease -  any disease of the eye

• eyepatch -  a protective cloth covering for an injured eye

• field of regard -  all of the points of the physical environment that can be perceived by a stable eye at a given moment

• field of view -  the area that is visible (as through an optical instrument)

• fixation -  (histology) the preservation and hardening of a tissue sample to retain as nearly as possible the same relations they had in the living body; the activity of fastening something firmly in position; an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation with something or someone; an abnormal state in which development has stopped prematurely

• flicker -  North American woodpecker; a momentary flash of light; the act of moving back and forth; verb move back and forth very rapidly; flash intermittently; shine unsteadily

• floater -  an insurance policy covering loss of movable property (e.g. jewelry) regardless of its location; an object that floats or is capable of floating; a swimmer who floats in the water; a voter who votes illegally at different polling places in the same election; an employee who is reassigned from job to job as needed; a debt instrument with a variable interest rate tied to some other interest rate (e.g. the rate paid by T-bills); a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support; spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens

• full - adj. having the normally expected amount; complete in extent or degree and in every particular; containing as much or as many as is possible or normal; (of sound) having marked depth and body; filled to satisfaction with food or drink; having ample fabric; constituting the full quantity or extent; complete; being at a peak or culminating point; adv. to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (`full' in this sense is used as a combining form);  the time when the moon is fully illuminated; verb make (a garment) fuller by pleating or gathering; beat for the purpose of cleaning and thickening; increase in phase

• glare -  an angry stare; great brightness; a focus of public attention; verb shine intensely; be sharply reflected; look at with a fixed gaze

• glasses -  optical instrument consisting of a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision

• gloom -  a feeling of melancholy apprehension; a state of partial or total darkness; an atmosphere of depression and melancholy

• horner's syndrome -  a pattern of symptoms occurring as a result of damage to nerves in the cervical region of the spine (drooping eyelids and constricted pupils and absence of facial sweating)

• hyperopia -  abnormal condition in which vision for distant objects is better than for near objects

• hyphema -  bleeding into the interior chamber of the eye

• image -  the general impression that something (a person or organization or product) presents to the public; an iconic mental representation; a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture); a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface; (Jungian psychology) a personal facade that one presents to the world; a standard or typical example; language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense; someone who closely resembles a famous person (especially an actor); verb imagine; conceive of; see in one's mind

• imaging -  (medicine) obtaining pictures of the interior of the body; the ability to form mental images of things or events

• infliximab -  an anti-TNF compound (trade name Remicade) consisting of an antibody directed against TNF; it is given intravenously at one-month to three-month intervals; used in treatment of regional enteritis and rheumatoid arthritis

• intraocular lens -  an artificial lens that is implanted into the eye of someone to replace a damaged natural lens or someone who has had a cataract removed

• intraocular pressure -  pressure inside the eyeball; regulated by resistance to the outward flow of aqueous humor

• journal -  the part of the axle contained by a bearing; a record book as a physical object; a periodical dedicated to a particular subject; a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations; a ledger in which transactions have been recorded as they occurred

• keratoacanthoma -  skin tumor that grows rapidly (especially in older people) and resembles a carcinoma but does not spread; it usually disappears spontaneously, often leaving a scar

• keratoconus -  abnormal cone-shaped protrusion of the cornea of the eye; can be treated by epikeratophakia

• keratomalacia -  softening and drying and ulceration of the cornea resulting from vitamin A deficiency; symptom of cystic fibrosis or sprue

• keratoscope -  medical instrument to examine the cornea in order to detect irregularities in its anterior surface

• ketorolac -  nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (trade name Torodal) that is given only orally

• miosis -  reflex contraction of the sphincter muscle of the iris in response to a bright light (or certain drugs) causing the pupil to become smaller; (genetics) cell division that produces reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms; the nucleus divides into four nuclei each containing half the chromosome number (leading to gametes in animals and spores in plants)

• mnemonics -  a method or system for improving the memory

• monochromacy -  complete color blindness; colors can be differentiated only on the basis of brightness

• monocular vision -  vision with only one eye

• multiple sclerosis -  a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers

• myasthenia gravis -  a chronic progressive disease characterized by chronic fatigue and muscular weakness (especially in the face and neck); caused by a deficiency of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junctions

• mydriasis -  reflex pupillary dilation as a muscle pulls the iris outward; occurs in response to a decrease in light or certain drugs

• myopia -  (ophthalmology) eyesight abnormality resulting from the eye's faulty refractive ability; distant objects appear blurred

• naked eye -  the eye unaided by any optical instrument that alters the power of vision or alters the apparent size or distance of objects

• nanophthalmos -  condition in which both eyes are abnormally small but otherwise normal

• neuroblastoma -  malignant tumor containing embryonic nerve cells; usually metastasizes quickly

• nystagmus -  involuntary movements of the eyeballs; its presence or absence is used to diagnose a variety of neurological and visual disorders

• ophthalmia -  severe conjunctivitis

• ophthalmology -  the branch of medicine concerned with the eye and its diseases

• opsin -  retinal protein formed by the action of light on rhodopsin

• optometry -  the practice of an optometrist

• orbit -  the (usually elliptical) path described by one celestial body in its revolution about another; the path of an electron around the nucleus of an atom; an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"; the bony cavity in the skull containing the eyeball; a particular environment or walk of life; verb move in an orbit

• orthoptics -  treatment of defects of binocular vision (such as strabismus and amblyopia) by nonsurgical measures (especially by exercises to strengthen the eye muscles)

• orthoptist -  a specialist in orthoptics

• palsy -  a condition marked by uncontrollable tremor; loss of the ability to move a body part; verb affect with palsy

• papilledema -  swelling of the optic disc (where the optic nerve enters the eyeball); usually associated with an increase in intraocular pressure

• parallax -  the apparent displacement of an object as seen from two different points that are not on a line with the object

• perception -  the process of perceiving; knowledge gained by perceiving; a way of conceiving something; becoming aware of something via the senses; the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept

• peripheral vision -  vision using only the periphery of the retina

• phenylephrine -  a powerful vasoconstrictor used to dilate the pupils and relieve nasal congestion

• photopic vision -  normal vision in daylight; vision with sufficient illumination that the cones are active and hue is perceived

• pinguecula -  a slightly elevated elastic tissue deposit in the conjunctiva that may extend to the cornea but does not cover it

• presbyopia -  farsightedness resulting from a reduced ability to focus caused by loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens with age

• psychology -  the science of mental life

• pterygium -  either of two thickened triangular layers of conjunctiva extending from the nasal edge of the eye to the cornea; it arises from irritation of the pinguecula

• ptosis -  drooping of the upper eyelid caused by muscle paralysis and weakness

• pupil -  contractile aperture in the iris of the eye; a young person attending school (up through senior high school); a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

• red-eye - verb travel on an overnight flight

• retinal - adj. in or relating to the retina of the eye;  either of two yellow to red retinal pigments formed from rhodopsin by the action of light

• retinal detachment -  visual impairment resulting from the retina becoming separated from the choroid in the back of the eye; treated by photocoagulation

• retinoblastoma -  malignant ocular tumor of retinal cells; usually occurs before the third year of life; composed of primitive small round retinal cells

• rhabdomyosarcoma -  a highly malignant neoplasm derived from striated muscle

• rheum -  rhubarb; a watery discharge from the mucous membranes (especially from the eyes or nose)

• rhinosporidiosis -  fungal infection of the nose; often acquired while swimming

• saccade -  a rapid, jerky movement of the eyes between positions of rest; an abrupt spasmodic movement

• sandbox -  plaything consisting of a pile of sand or a box filled with sand for children to play in; mold consisting of a box with sand shaped to mold metal

• scleritis -  inflammation of the sclera

• scotopic vision -  the ability to see in reduced illumination (as in moonlight)

• siderosis -  fibrosis of the lung caused by iron dust; occurs among welders and other metal workers

• snellen chart -  display consisting of a printed card with letters and numbers in lines of decreasing size; used to test visual acuity

• squamous cell carcinoma -  the most common form of skin cancer

• statistics -  a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the collection and interpretation of quantitative data and the use of probability theory to estimate population parameters

• stye -  an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid

• subluxation -  partial displacement of a joint or organ

• sunglasses -  spectacles that are darkened or polarized to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun

• suppression -  forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority; the act of withholding or withdrawing some book or writing from publication or circulation; (botany) the failure to develop of some part or organ of a plant; (psychology) the conscious exclusion of unacceptable thoughts or desires

• surgery -  a room where a doctor or dentist can be consulted; the branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures; a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body; a room in a hospital equipped for the performance of surgical operations

• template -  a model or standard for making comparisons

• tenonitis -  inflammation of a tendon

• timothy -  a grass grown for hay; a disciple of Saint Paul who became the leader of the Christian community at Ephesus; grass with long cylindrical spikes frown in northern United States and Europe for hay

• toxoplasmosis -  infection caused by parasites transmitted to humans from infected cats; if contracted by a pregnant woman it can result in serious damage to the fetus

• trachoma -  a chronic contagious viral disease marked by inflammation of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eye and the formation of scar tissue

• trash -  worthless people; an amphetamine derivative (trade name Methedrine) used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant; nonsensical talk or writing; worthless material that is to be disposed of; verb dispose of (something useless or old); express a totally negative opinion of

• trisomy -  chrosomal abnormality in which there is one more than the normal number of chromosomes in a cell

• tunnel vision -  visual impairment involving a loss of peripheral vision

• ultrasound -  very high frequency sound; used in ultrasonography; using the reflections of high-frequency sound waves to construct an image of a body organ (a sonogram); commonly used to observe fetal growth or study bodily organs

• undine -  any of various female water spirits

• visibility -  capability of providing a clear unobstructed view; quality or fact or degree of being visible; perceptible by the eye or obvious to the eye; degree of exposure to public notice

• visible spectrum -  the distribution of colors produced when light is dispersed by a prism

• vision -  the perceptual experience of seeing; a vivid mental image; a religious or mystical experience of a supernatural appearance; the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses; the ability to see; the visual faculty

• visual - adj. able to be seen; relating to or using sight

• visual acuity -  sharpness of vision; the visual ability to resolve fine detail (usually measured by a Snellen chart)

• visual field -  all of the points of the physical environment that can be perceived by a stable eye at a given moment

• visual impairment -  impairment of the sense of sight

• visual perception -  perception by means of the eyes

• xanthopsia -  visual defect in which objects appear to have a yellowish hue; sometimes occurs in cases of jaundice