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Glossary
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| Accommodation: Adjustments made to focus on objects nearby, including lens thickening, pupil constriction Aqueous humor: Watery fluid inside the front of the eye Affected side: The side toward your visual loss Amblyopia: Visual loss typically in one eye, due to a defect in image processing by the brain AMD: Age-related Macular Degeneration Amsler Grid: A test for macular degeneration and macular function Anaplastologist: A professional who restores (through prosthetic means) a malformed or absent part of the human body; including orbitals (eye and surrounding anatomy) Anatomy: Having to do with naming parts of the body Anophthalmos, Anophthalmic: A developmental defect characterized by complete absence of the eye Anterior chamber: The fluid-filled space between the iris/lens and the inside of the cornea Apparent Size: The relative amount of space an object occupies in the visual field Artificial eye: A custom-made plastic duplicate of your other eye; see ocular prosthesis Astigmatism: Distorted vision due to corneal or lenticular irregularity or shape Binocularity, binocular: Having or using two eyes, which gives the brain information to make a picture of the world in space; see monocular Blind spot: A defect in the field of vision—one at the optic nerve is normal Blur Interpretation: The ability to discriminate and identify an unclear image of an object by relying on context, color and overall shape cues Cataract: Clouding of the lens behind the iris causing blurry vision; this can occur from injury or disease or aging Choroid: The vascular layer behind the retina, in front of the sclera Congenital: From birth; anything you were born with Conjunctiva: Thin layer of tissue lining the inside of the lids, continues onto the sclera, or lining the socket Conjunctival sac: The socket Contrast: The difference between light and shadow or various colors; Convergence: The eyes look together at objects nearby Cornea: The outermost, front-most clear layer of the eye; does most of the focusing of images onto the retina Cosmesis: For the benefit of appearance, looks Critical Distance: Furthest point from which an object can be visually discriminated Critical Feature: The parts of an object that yield the most information Depth: The relative distance of objects and their spatial relationship to each other Diabetes: Disease affecting the pancreas and the blood sugar Diabetic Retinopathy: Sight-threatening changes in the retina due to diabetes Diagnosis: Naming the disease of a patient Dilation, iris: Opening of the iris wider, making the pupil larger Dimension, 2-D: A two-dimensional view is flat like a photograph Dimension, 3-D: A three-dimensional view that has spatial depth Discrimination: The ability to make distinctions within and/or between visible things Disparity: Difference between two images or the motion of two things Distance: An interval between two points in space or time Ectropion: Turning out of the eyelashes Entropion: Turning in of the eyelashes Enophthalmos: Sinking inwards of the eye Enucleation: Surgical removal of the eyeball Epithelium: The outermost cell layer of any tissue Evisceration: Surgical removal of only the inside of the eye, leaving the sclera Exenteration: Surgical removal of most of the tissues in the orbit Extraocular muscles: Muscles outside of the eyeball that move the eye Exophthalmos: Bulging outwards of the eye Extrude, extrusion: Pushed out, sometimes showing the implant surface Eye-Hand/Body Coordination: Use of vision to direct body movements more efficiently and easily Familiar Size: The typical size of any object based upon the individual’s learning experience Farsightedness: A visual disorder whereby an image entering the visual system (the eye) lands behind the retina causing vision to be clearer at distances than up close Fixation: Maintaining eye position and focusing gaze on a target Fornix (plural is fornices): The corner of the conjunctival sac or socket Fovea: The center of the macula, used for finest vision Fusion: The melding of two images into a single 3-D picture Glass eye: An ocular prosthesis, usually made of plastic Glaucoma: Disease causing nerve damage to the optic nerve, usually by too much pressure in the eyeball Glaucoma, congenital: Glaucoma caused by blockage of the outflow of the aqueous humor, usually from birth Glaucoma, low pressure: Caused by high sensitivity to pressure Hemangioma: A tumor, usually harmless, made up of blood vessels Hyperopia: See farsightedness Hydroxyapatite: An ocular implant made from sterilized coral Implant: Any object sutured into the body. In enucleation, a ball that takes the place of the eyeball—the extraocular muscles are attached to make the implant move with the other eye, covered by the conjunctival sac. Impression: A casting of the tissues around the socket used to make a custom prosthesis Infection: An invasion of the body typically caused by bacteria or viruses Inferior: Toward the bottom Inflammation: Redness of tissues from the body’s reaction by bringing more blood to the area Intraocular: Inside the eyeball Interposition: Visual cue which enables comparative distance judgment (i.e., closer vs. farther away). When one object is in front of and partially blocks another, the object being blocked is further away. The object fully seen is closer to the observer. Iris: The colored part of the eye which regulates the amount of light coming into the retina; located behind the cornea, in front of the lens Keratopathy: Any disease of the cornea Laser: A powerful light that heats up or destroys tissue, usually in surgery Lasik surgery: One type of refractive keratoplasty performed with a laser Lens: The element of the eye that finely focuses the light into an image Localization: Visually finding a target Low vision: Lower than normal vision, often gradual Macula: Sensitive area of the retina responsible for central vision Macular degeneration: Breakdown of the macula causing central loss of vision Malignant: Cancerous, spreading tumor Medpor©: Synthetic, porous ocular implant Melanoma: Cancerous tumor from cells that contain pigment (melanin) Migration: Moving from where intended Microphthalmia: Congenital disease in which the eyeball never fully developed Monocular: Referring to having or using only one eye Motility: Movement of the eye by muscles Motion disparity: Difference in the moving of two or more objects Movement: Change in position of part or all of an object Myopia: A visual disorder whereby an image entering the visual system lands in front of the retina, causing vision to be clearer up close than at distances. See Nearsightedness Nearsightedness: See Myopia Nerve: A ‘cable’ carrying electrical signals to or from the brain Object: Any visible form, person, picture, or substance in the environment Ocularist: Trained professional who fits and makes ocular prosthetics or artificial eyes Ocular: Pertaining to the eye Ocular Prosthesis: An artificial eye Oculoplastic: Medical specialty to perform plastic surgery near the eyes OD: Pertaining to the right eye (oculus dexter); OS is left Ophthalmologist (M.D.): Doctor specializing in the diseases and treatment of the eye Optic nerve: Large nerve that carries signals to the brain from the retina Optician: Eye care professional who fits and makes glasses Optimum Viewing Angle: That angle which provides maximum visibility and minimum discomfort while looking at an object Optometrist (O.D.): Medical professional specializing in the eye with the exception of performing surgery Orbit: The bony cone in the skull surrounding the eyeball, nerves and muscles Orbital Prosthesis: Device which replaces both the eye and the orbital contents OS: Pertaining to the left eye (os sinister); OD is right Palpebral fissure: The opening between the eyelids Pathology: The study of diseases; anything wrong with the body Peripheral vision: Outer region of the visual field Periphery: Outermost part Perspective: One of several ways to tell distance on a two dimensional plane Perspective, Atmospheric: Objects in front are sharper than those in the distance Perspective, Contrast: Colors, distinct shadows, and highlights lessen with distance Perspective, Overlap: Objects in front cross over and cover our view of objects behind Perspective, Vanishing: Objects get smaller and closer together in the distance Posterior: Part toward the back Preferred Viewing Distance: Distance at which an object can be most easity discriminated and/or correctly identified Presbyopia: With age, the flexibility of the lens of the eye is less, causing images to blur up close Prognosis: The most-likely future of a patient Prosthesis: Artificial eye; anything that replaces normal anatomy Ptosis: Droopy eyelid Ptisis bulbi: Eyeball that is shrunken, scarred Pupil: Hole in the iris allowing light to the retina, gets larger in dilation, smaller in constriction Refractive keratoplasty: Surgery to correct vision by reshaping the cornea Relative movement: Moving your eye/head/body in order to appreciate an object’s location (in space) Retina, Retinal: Light sensitive part of the eye, like the film in a camera; referring to the retina Retinitis pigmentosa: Progressively blinding disease affecting the pigment in the eye Retinoblastoma: Congenital tumor inside the eye Retinopathy, diabetic: Either non-proliferative leaking of the blood vessels in the retina or proliferative fibrosis and new vessels on the retina due to complications of diabetes Retinopathy, proliferative: Diabetic retinopathy possibly causing retinal detachment Retinopathy, sympathetic: The good eye is threatened to catch the disease of the damaged eye Scanning: Use of eye and head movements to search for a target Sclera: White, tough outer coating of the eyeball Scleral Shell: A type of thin prosthesis worn over a non-seeing eye Shoreline: The edge or border between the sidewalk and grassline Socket: The conjunctival sac in front of the implant which holds an artificial eye Spatial Relationships: The ability to orient one’s body in space and to perceive the position of objects in relation to oneself and to other objects Square Off: Use of one’s body for establishing a perpendicular alignment to a straight surface Stereopsis: The ability to use three-dimensional binocular vision Sulcus; superior sulcus: Deep skin groove around the upper eyelid; “superior sulcus” means a hollow above the upper eyelid Superior: Towards the top Sympathetic ophthalmia: Disease of the sightless eye affecting the good eye Tactual: The sense of touch Target: A visual object, symbol or event in the environment Tears, artificial: Moistening eye drops Three-Dimensional (3-D) Form Perception: The ability to identify tangible concrete objects Tonometry: Test of the pressure inside the eye Topography: Physical features of a place or region Tracing: Visually following a stationary line Tracking: Visually following a moving object Two-Dimensional (2-D) Form Perception: The ability to identify pictures of objects, such as photographs or directions on environmental signs Visual acuity: Strength of vision; example: A Visual Acuity (VA) of 20/20 is seeing at 20 feet what a normal eye sees at 20 feet; 20/200 is seeing at 20 feet what a normal eye sees at 200 feet, thus worse vision Visual Closure: Identifying a target when only part of it can be seen Visual field: Test of the range of vision side to side, up to down Vitreous, vitrectomy: Posterior fluid in the eyeball Chapter 1. An Unhappy Landing Chapter 2. An Awkward Takeoff Chapter 3. Jolts of Reality Chapter 4. Flying High Chapter 5. How About You? Chapter 6. Seeing in 3-D—How It Works Chapter 7. What Has Changed? Chapter 8. Getting Back to 3-D Chapter 9. Avoiding Problems and Possible Mistakes Chapter 10. In the Driver’s Seat Chapter 11. The Active Life Chapter 12. Let Technology Help Chapter 13. Keeping the Good Eye Good Chapter 14. Seeing to Your Looks Chapter 15. Eye-making (Ocularistry) Chapter 16. Driving and Piloting Licenses Chapter 17. For Parents Only Chapter 18. Senior Class Chapter 19. In Good Company Glossary Resources |