Ears and Eyes: Special

Sense Organs
Wendee M. Concepcion, RN, MD
 Eyes: The Photoreceptor System

I) Fibrous Layer IV) Vitreous Body VI) Accessory

● Sclera V) Retina Structures of the
● Cornea ● Retina Pigmented Eye
● Limbus Epithelium ● Conjunctiva
II) Vascular ● Neural Retina ● Eyelids
Layer ● Rod Cells ● Lacrimal Glands
● Choroid ● Cone Cells
● Ciliary Body ● Specialized Areas of
● Iris the Retina
III) Lens ● Phototransduction
What structure refracts
incoming light?
a. Sclera
b. Cornea
c. Corhoid
d. Iris
What structure refracts
incoming light?
a. Sclera
b. Cornea
c. Corhoid
d. Iris
What structure is not
included in the
vascular tunic?
A. Choroid
B. Sclera
C. Iris
D. Ciliary body
What structure is not
included in the
vascular tunic?
A. Choroid
B. Sclera
C. Iris
D. Ciliary body
 Which of the following is the
thickest component of the cornea?

a. Corneal epithelium

b. Stroma

c. Descemet membrane

d. Bowman membrane

e. Corneal endothelium
 Which of the following is the
thickest component of the cornea?

a. Corneal epithelium

b. Stroma

c. Descemet membrane

d. Bowman membrane

e. Corneal endothelium
What produces
aqueous humor?
CSJ - corneoscleral junction
S - sclera
C - conjunctivae
SVS - scleral venous sinus/canal of Schlemm
AC - anterior chamber
I - Iris
CM - ciliary muscle
CP - ciliary processes; produce aqueous
humor
CZ - ciliary zonule
L - lens
Arrow - zonular fiber
PC - posterior chamber
 Patient came in due to bilateral
blurred vision, eye pain, and
headache. You are considering that
the intraocular pressure increased
due to impeded aqueous humor
drainage from the anterior
chamber. This condition is called?
 Patient came in due to bilateral
blurred vision, eye pain, and
headache. You are considering that
the intraocular pressure increased
due to impeded aqueous humor
drainage from the anterior
chamber. This condition is called?
Glaucoma
Which description is accurate for
lens fibers?

a. Are terminally differentiated fibroblasts

b. Consist of specialized type I collagen

c. Derived from epithelial cells that produce

proteins called crystallins

d. Consist of type III collagen

e. Have the same embryonic origin as the neural

retina
Which description is accurate for
lens fibers?

a. Are terminally differentiated fibroblasts

b. Consist of specialized type I collagen

c. Derived from epithelial cells that produce

proteins called crystallins

d. Consist of type III collagen

e. Have the same embryonic origin as the neural

retina
LC - lens capsule
LE - simple columnar epithelium
DLF - differentiating lens fibers; with
nuclei; cytoplasm with proteins called
crystallins
MLF - mature lens fibers; without nuclei
S - sclera; dense connective tissue
C - choroid; loose, vascular connective
tissue
SCL - suprachoroidal lamina where
melanocytes are more prominent
CCL - choroidocapillary lamina; rich
microvasculature that helps O2 and
nutrients to the adjacent retina
B - Bruch layer
P - pigmented layer of cuboidal
epithelium containing melanin
R&C - rods and cones
PE - double layer of pigmented
epithelial and
NE - nonpigmented epithelial low
columnar or cuboidal cells
V - blood vessels; fluid from these
vessels is pumped by the epithelial
cells out of the ciliary processes as
aqueous humor
3. Which structure is the most
anterior extension of the eye’s
vascular layer?
a. Ciliary body

b. Cornea

c. Lens

d. Iris

e. Zonule
3. Which structure is the most
anterior extension of the eye’s
vascular layer?
a. Ciliary body

b. Cornea

c. Lens

d. Iris

e. Zonule
 4. Which cells transmit visual
signals from the retina to the brain?

a. Bipolar cells

b. Amacrine cells

c. Ganglion cells

d. Horizontal cells

e. Müller cells
 4. Which cells transmit visual
signals from the retina to the brain?

a. Bipolar cells

b. Amacrine cells

c. Ganglion cells

d. Horizontal cells

e. Müller cells
Müller cells are large glial cells unique to the
retina, which are critical for retinal function
by providing trophic and metabolic support
for adjacent neurons, regulating
homeostasis and synaptic activity, and
helping to organize retinal components
structurally. An image using a confocal light
microscope of a section of living guinea pig
retina which shows the large Müller cells in
red.
Rod and cone cells are the two types of photoreceptors of the outer retina.
Rod cells (right) - extremely sensitive to light, responding to a single photon,
and allow some vision even with light low levels, such as at dusk or nighttime.
Cone cells (left) - Less numerous and less light-sensitive than rods, produce
color vision in adequately bright light
Optic disc - blind spot,
converge at the optic nerve
head and leave the eye as the
optic nerve
Fovea centralis - visual acuity is
maximal, near the optic disc
and directly opposite the pupil
In the dark, rhodopsin and its 11-cis-retinal are inactive
and the intracellular concentration of the second
messenger cyclic GMP (cGMP) is high. It keeps open the
cGMP-gated sodium channels in the cell membrane and
therefore the cell is depolarized.

When photons of light are absorbed by the retinal of

rhodopsin, the molecule isomerizes from 11-cis-retinal
to all-trans-retinal and this change activates the opsin.
It activates the adjacent peripheral membrane protein
transducin, a heterotrimeric G protein, allowing it to
release its α subunit, which moves laterally and
stimulates another membrane protein,
phosphodiesterase, to hydrolyze cGMP. With less
cGMP, many of the sodium channels now close,
producing hyperpolarization of the cell, which
decreases the release of neurotransmitter at the
synapses. This change at the synapse depolarizes sets
of bipolar neurons, which then send action potentials
to the various ganglion cells of the optic nerve, allowing
the brain to produce an image.
In the dark, rhodopsin and its 11-cis-retinal are inactive
and the intracellular concentration of the second
messenger cyclic GMP (cGMP) is high. It keeps open the
cGMP-gated sodium channels in the cell membrane and
therefore the cell is depolarized.

When photons of light are absorbed by the retinal of

rhodopsin, the molecule isomerizes from 11-cis-retinal
to all-trans-retinal and this change activates the opsin.
It activates the adjacent peripheral membrane protein
transducin, a heterotrimeric G protein, allowing it to
release its α subunit, which moves laterally and
stimulates another membrane protein,
phosphodiesterase, to hydrolyze cGMP. With less
cGMP, many of the sodium channels now close,
producing hyperpolarization of the cell, which
decreases the release of neurotransmitter at the
synapses. This change at the synapse depolarizes sets
of bipolar neurons, which then send action potentials
to the various ganglion cells of the optic nerve, allowing
the brain to produce an image.
In the dark, rhodopsin and its 11-cis-retinal are inactive
and the intracellular concentration of the second
messenger cyclic GMP (cGMP) is high. It keeps open the
cGMP-gated sodium channels in the cell membrane and
therefore the cell is depolarized.

When photons of light are absorbed by the retinal of

rhodopsin, the molecule isomerizes from 11-cis-retinal
to all-trans-retinal and this change activates the opsin.
It activates the adjacent peripheral membrane protein
transducin, a heterotrimeric G protein, allowing it to
release its α subunit, which moves laterally and
stimulates another membrane protein,
phosphodiesterase, to hydrolyze cGMP. With less
cGMP, many of the sodium channels now close,
producing hyperpolarization of the cell, which
decreases the release of neurotransmitter at the
synapses. This change at the synapse depolarizes sets
of bipolar neurons, which then send action potentials
to the various ganglion cells of the optic nerve, allowing
the brain to produce an image.
 A 47-year-old woman is referred to an ophthalmologist after reporting
increased difficulty with tasks at night or in dark places for the past 3 or 4
years. She has trouble walking in dimly lit rooms and the movie theater.
She has given up driving at night and describes a prolonged adaptation
period going from light to dark. She also describes her daylight vision as
“tunneled,” as she frequently walks into furniture. A family history
indicates that her father had a similar condition. In this disease, a single
point mutation in the rhodopsin gene leads to disruption of signal
transduction. Visual transduction in the affected cells involves which of the
following?

a. Inactivation of phosphodiesterase

b. Increase in cGMP levels

c. Conversion of all-trans-retinal to 11-cis-retinal

d. Closing of Na + channels

e. Depolarization of the cell membranes

 A 47-year-old woman is referred to an ophthalmologist after reporting
increased difficulty with tasks at night or in dark places for the past 3 or 4
years. She has trouble walking in dimly lit rooms and the movie theater.
She has given up driving at night and describes a prolonged adaptation
period going from light to dark. She also describes her daylight vision as
“tunneled,” as she frequently walks into furniture. A family history
indicates that her father had a similar condition. In this disease, a single
point mutation in the rhodopsin gene leads to disruption of signal
transduction. Visual transduction in the affected cells involves which of the
following?

a. Inactivation of phosphodiesterase

b. Increase in cGMP levels

c. Conversion of all-trans-retinal to 11-cis-retinal

d. Closing of Na + channels

e. Depolarization of the cell membranes

Ears: The Vestibuloauditory System

External Ear Internal Ear

● Auricle ● Utricle and Saccule
● External Acoustic Meatus ● Semicircular Ducts
● Tympanic Membrane ● Cochlear Duct
Middle Ear
● Tympanic Cavity
● Auditory Tube
● Oval and Round Windows
● Auidtory Ossicles
 5. The epithelial cells within the
organ of Corti are supported by
which of the following structures?
a. Spiral limbus

b. Tectorial membrane

c. Vestibular membrane

d. Basilar membrane

e. Spiral ligament
 5. The epithelial cells within the
organ of Corti are supported by
which of the following structures?
a. Spiral limbus

b. Tectorial membrane

c. Vestibular membrane

d. Basilar membrane

e. Spiral ligament
6. The middle ear contains which of
the following structures?
a. The labyrinth

b. The modiolus

c. The perilymph

d. The vestibular apparatus

e. The ossicles
6. The middle ear contains which of
the following structures?
a. The labyrinth

b. The modiolus

c. The perilymph

d. The vestibular apparatus

e. The ossicles
 9. During an eye examination a 55-year-old
man is found to show intraocular pressure
exceeding 40 mm Hg and blockage of fluid flow
within the eye is suspected. Such a diagnosis
would involve a blockage at which of the
following sites?
a. Choroid body

b. Vessels at the optic disk

c. Pupillary junction of the posterior and anterior chambers

d. Choroid layer

6. The middle ear contains which of the following structures?

e. Trabecular meshwork
 9. During an eye examination a 55-year-old
man is found to show intraocular pressure
exceeding 40 mm Hg and blockage of fluid flow
within the eye is suspected. Such a diagnosis
would involve a blockage at which of the
following sites?
a. Choroid body

b. Vessels at the optic disk

c. Pupillary junction of the posterior and anterior chambers

d. Choroid layer

6. The middle ear contains which of the following structures?

e. Trabecular meshwork
 10. During a boxing match, a 23-year-old fighter sustains a direct
blow to the right ear. He presents with dizziness, vertigo, imbalance,
nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, and fullness in the ears. His vertigo
increases with activity and is relieved by rest. He has some hearing
loss. The symptoms worsen with coughing, sneezing, or blowing his
nose, as well as with exertion. He is diagnosed with perilymphatic
fistula, which allows leakage of perilymph. In which of the following
structures is perilymph normally found?

a. Scala media

b. Scala tympani

c. Semicircular canals

d. Saccule

e. Utricle
 10. During a boxing match, a 23-year-old fighter sustains a direct
blow to the right ear. He presents with dizziness, vertigo, imbalance,
nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, and fullness in the ears. His vertigo
increases with activity and is relieved by rest. He has some hearing
loss. The symptoms worsen with coughing, sneezing, or blowing his
nose, as well as with exertion. He is diagnosed with perilymphatic
fistula, which allows leakage of perilymph. In which of the following
structures is perilymph normally found?

a. Scala media

b. Scala tympani

c. Semicircular canals

d. Saccule

e. Utricle
 “For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your
works, And that my soul knows very well.”
—Psalms 139:13-14