Medical Terminology for the Ophthalmologic System

Introduction to Ophthalmologic Terminology

• Ophthalmologic System: Involves the eyes
• Key Terms:
  • Ophthalm/o: Refers to the eye
  • -ology: Study of
  • -ic: Pertaining to
• Ophthalmologic: Pertaining to the study of the eyes

Prefixes and Suffixes

General Eye Terms

• Opt/o: Refers to the eye (e.g., optic, optometrist)
• -opia: Condition of the eye

Specific Ophthalmologic Prefixes

• My/o: Short-sightedness (Note: Typically means muscle in non-eye contexts)
• Hyper-: Far-sightedness
• Presby-: Relates to focusing of the lens

Condition Suffixes

• -opia: Used with prefixes like hyper and presby to describe conditions

Anatomical Terms Related to the Eye

Eye Layers and Structures

• Conjunctiv/o: Refers to conjunctiva (e.g., conjunctivitis)
• Scler/o: Refers to sclera, the white of the eye (e.g., scleritis)
• Ir/o, Irid/o: Refers to iris (e.g., iritis)
• Blephar/o: Refers to eyelid (e.g., blepharitis)
• Lacrim/o: Refers to tears (e.g., lacrimal duct, lacrimation)

Eye Fluids and Inner Structures

• Corne/o: Refers to cornea (e.g., corneal abrasion)
• Aque/o: Refers to aqueous humor
• Phak/o: Refers to lens
• Vitre/o: Refers to vitreous humor
• Retin/o: Refers to retina (e.g., retinopathy)

Practice with Medical Terms

Example Terms and Their Breakdown

• Pseudophakia:

  • Pseudo-: False
  • Phak/o: Lens of the eye
  • -ia: Condition
  • Definition: Condition of having a false lens, typically post-cataract surgery
  • Patient: Referred to as pseudophakic

• Blepharitis:

  • Blephar/o: Eyelid
  • -itis: Inflammation
  • Definition: Inflammation of the eyelids, common in older patients

• Vitrectomy:

  • Vitre/o: Vitreous humor
  • -ectomy: Surgical removal
  • Definition: Surgical removal of the vitreous humor from the eye

Conclusion

• This lesson covered essential medical terms for describing the anatomy of the eye and associated conditions.
• Helpful for understanding terms encountered in ophthalmology.
• Encourage further learning and subscription for more lessons.