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- Accommodation
- the ability of the eye to increase its focusing power.
As an object is viewed closer up, greater focusing power is needed to
continue to see it clearly.
- Anterior Chamber
- the fluid-filled space in the eye between the back
surface of the cornea (endothelium) and the front of the iris.
- Antibiotic
- a medication to treat or prevent infection from
bacteria.
- Anti-inflammatory
- a medication to reduce inflammation (the body's
response to surgery, injury, irritation, or infection).
- Astigmatism
- a distortion of the image on the retina caused by
irregularities in the refractive power of the cornea and/or lens.
- Cataract
- cloudiness of the natural lens inside the eye that can
blur vision.
- Cornea
- the clear, transparent cover over the iris and pupil on
the front part of the eye. The cornea is the first part of the eye that
bends (or refracts) the light and provides most of the focusing power of
the eye.
- Corneal Edema
- abnormal fluid build-up in the cornea that can cause
haziness and swelling of the cornea and resulting blurred vision.
- Corneal Transplant
- surgical treatment where the patient's cloudy cornea is
cut away and a clear cornea, donated by someone who has died, is sewn into
its place.
- Crystalline (Natural) Lens
- the eyes natural lens that bends light (refracts) to
provide some of the focusing power of the eye. The eye's natural lens is
able to change shape allowing the eye to focus at different distances.
- Diopter
- unit of measurement of refractive error. A negative
diopter prescription for glasses or contact lenses signifies an eye with
nearsightedness and positive diopter prescription signifies an eye with
farsightedness.
- Double Vision
- seeing two images of a single object instead of one.
- Endothelial Cells
- the cells that line the inner surface of the cornea in
a single layer (endothelium). They are responsible for pumping fluid out
of the cornea to keep it clear. These cells gradually decrease in number
over a lifetime. They can die off faster than normal from damage during
surgery or after surgery. If the number of endothelial cells becomes too
low, your cornea becomes cloudy, you lose vision and may require a corneal
transplant.
- Endothelium
- the innermost layer of cells lining the inner surface
of the cornea.
- Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
- the inability to see near objects as clearly as distant
objects. The need for accommodation to see even distant objects clearly,
because the focusing power of the eye is too weak when the eye is not
accommodating. Light rays come to focus behind the retina instead of on
the retina when the eye is not accommodating.
- Glare
- scatter from bright light that causes discomfort and
can decrease vision and the ability to perform tasks like driving.
- Glaucoma
- a group of eye diseases characterized by pressure that
is too high for the optic nerve (the nerve that sends the signal of images
created by the eye to the brain) to withstand. Damage to the optic nerve
from glaucoma results in loss of peripheral and then central vision.
Glaucoma may be treated with medications or surgery to try to stop further
damage to the optic nerve and further loss of vision.
- Halos
- hazy rings around lights.
- Hyperopia
- see farsightedness
- Inflammation
- the body's response to surgery, injury, irritation,
infection, or some foreign substances, often associated with pain, heat,
redness, swelling, and/or loss of function.
- Informed Consent
- the process of obtaining a patient's permission for a
procedure after the patient and doctor have discussed the risks, benefits,
and alternatives of the procedure and the patient understands them.
- Informed Consent Document (Consent Form)
- a form listing the most common and worst possible risks
of a procedure, the alternatives to the procedure, and the possible
benefits of the procedure, which the patient signs to document their
agreement to have the procedure at the end of the Informed Consent
process.
- Intraocular
- inside the eye.
- Intraocular Lens
- a lens that is surgically implanted inside the eye.
- Intraocular Pressure
- the pressure of fluid inside the eye.
- Iris
- colored ring of tissue suspended behind the cornea and
immediately in front of the lens separating the anterior chamber from the
posterior chamber.
- Iritis
- inflammation of the front portion of the eye that can
lead to scarring inside the eye and glaucoma.
- Iridotomy
- incision of the iris.
- Laser Iridotomy
- production of a small hole in the outer edge of the
iris using a laser beam.
- Myopia
- see nearsightedness.
- Nearsightedness (Myopia)
- the inability to see distant objects as clearly as near
objects, because the focusing power of the eye is too strong. Light rays
come to focus in front of the retina instead of on the retina.
- Optic Nerve
- the large nerve of the eye that carries visual signals
from the retina to the brain to allow sight. Damage to the eye's optic
nerve results in loss of vision or blindness. Once the optic nerve is
permanently damaged, it cannot be repaired or replaced by a transplanted
optic nerve.
- Over Correction
- the refractive error of the eye is corrected too much
causing someone who is nearsighted to become farsighted or someone who is
farsighted to become nearsighted.
- Peripheral Iridectomy
- surgical removal of part of the iris near its outer
edge.
- Phakic
- with the natural lens of the eye; from the Greek word "phacos"
meaning lens.
- Phakic Lens
- an intraocular lens that is implanted in the eye with
the eye's natural lens still in place.
- Posterior Chamber
- the space in the eye between the back of the iris and
the front of the vitreous (the jello-like substance that fills the space
in the back central portion of the eyeball).
- Pseudoexfoliation
- abnormal deposits of white, flaky material seen on the
structures in the front part of the eye that may be associated with
cataracts and high pressure in the eye or glaucoma.
- Pupil
- the black hole in the center of the iris that changes
size in response to changes in lighting. It gets larger in dim lighting
conditions and smaller in bright lighting conditions.
- Pupillary Block
- blockage of the flow of fluid from the posterior
chamber to the anterior chamber of the eye through the pupil. This can
cause the pressure to build up inside the eye and can result in glaucoma.
- Refraction
- a test to determine the refractive power of the eye;
also, the bending of light as it passes from one medium into another.
- Refractive Error
- imperfections in the focusing power of the eye, so that
light rays are not brought into sharp focus on the retina, causing blurred
vision that can usually be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.
Nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism are
refractive errors.
- Refractive Power
- the ability of an object, such as the eye, to bend
light as light passes through it.
- Refractive Surgery
- general term referring to many different procedures to
correct the refractive error of the eye.
- Retina
- a thin layer of sensory tissue that lines the inside
wall of the back part of the eyeball. The retina acts like the film in a
camera to capture images created by the focusing power of the cornea and
the lens and transform them into electrical signals that are sent to the
brain through the optic nerve.
- Retinal Detachment
- separation of the retina from its attachments to the
back of the eyeball often resulting in loss of vision. Flashing lights,
floating spots, and blank spots in vision can be symptoms of a retinal
detachment.
- Sclera
- the white, protective outer layer of the eyeball that
is continuous with the cornea in the front of the eye.
- Shallow Anterior Chamber
- narrowness of the space between the cornea and the
iris.
- Under Correction
- the refractive error of the eye is not corrected enough
leaving someone who is nearsighted still nearsighted or someone who is
farsighted still farsighted to a certain degree.
- Uveitis
- general term for inflammation of the eye. Inflammation
can be in the anterior (iritis), intermediate, and/or posterior portion of
the eye.
- Visual Acuity
- the sharpness of vision; the measurement of the eye's
ability to distinguish object details and shape.
Back to Top
GLOSSARY
information compiled by
Dr. Manolette R.
Roque
and initially uploaded on May 1, 2005.
Last updated on
September 13, 2007.
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