Ocular Diseases & Conditions Flashcards

A patient reports a sudden onset of floaters, flashes of light, and a curtain-like shadow across their vision. Which condition is most likely and requires urgent referral?

Answer: Retinal detachment

A curtain-like shadow combined with new floaters and photopsia (flashes) is a classic presentation of retinal detachment, a sight-threatening emergency requiring immediate ophthalmologic evaluation.

Blepharitis is most commonly associated with inflammation of which structures?

Answer: Eyelid margins and meibomian glands

Blepharitis is a chronic inflammation of the eyelid margins, often involving the meibomian glands, leading to crusting, redness, and irritation along the lids.

Strabismus is defined as:

Answer: Misalignment of the eyes

Strabismus refers to a condition in which the two eyes do not align properly and point in different directions, either constantly or intermittently.

Amblyopia, commonly known as 'lazy eye,' results from:

Answer: Abnormal visual development during childhood causing reduced vision in one eye

Amblyopia occurs when the visual cortex fails to develop properly due to abnormal visual input during the critical period of childhood, resulting in reduced best-corrected visual acuity in one eye without organic disease.

Which layer of the eye is primarily affected in uveitis?

Answer: Uveal tract (iris, ciliary body, choroid)

Uveitis is inflammation of the uveal tract, which comprises the iris, ciliary body, and choroid, and it can be classified as anterior, intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis based on location.

A pterygium is best described as:

Answer: A fibrovascular growth of conjunctival tissue that extends onto the cornea

A pterygium is a wing-shaped fibrovascular overgrowth of bulbar conjunctiva that invades the cornea, often associated with UV exposure, and can distort vision if it encroaches on the visual axis.

Which systemic disease is most strongly associated with an increased risk of developing open-angle glaucoma?

Answer: Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for open-angle glaucoma, as it may affect aqueous outflow and optic nerve health through vascular and metabolic mechanisms.