Eyes and Ears Medical Terminology

Medical Terminoloy for the Eyes and Ears

1. Multimedia Directory
Slide 13 Eye Anatomy Animation
Slide 3 9 Eye Anatomy Exercise
Slide 46 Conjunctivitis Video
Slide 55Optometrist Video
Slide 6 2 Cataracts Video
Slide 6 3 Macular Degeneration Video
Slide 75Snellen Chart Video
Slide 9 3 Audiology Video
Slide 9 5Ear Anatomy Animation
Slide 109 Ear Anatomy Exercise
Slide 114Inner Ear Anatomy Animation
Slide 12 9 Otitis Media Video
Slide 13 3 Tympanometry Video
Slide 13 6 Audiometry Video

2. Special Senses: The Eye
Medical Terminology for Healthcare Professionals
Florida State College of Jacksonville
Professor: Michael L.Whitchurch, MHS

3. The Eye at a Glance
Function of the Eye
Contains sensory
receptors for vision
Part 1 Part 2

4. The Eye at a Glance
Structures of the Eye
Sclera
Choroid
Retina
Eyeball
Conjunctiva
Eye muscles
Eyelids
Lacrimal apparatus

5. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.

6. Visual Processing of the Cerebrum

7. Anatomy and Physiology
Ophthalmology (Ophth) is study of the eye
Eyeball
Organ of sight
Transmits external image using sensory impulses
via optic nerve to brain
Brain translates sensory impulses into image

8. Anatomy and Physiology
External structures important for vision
In addition to eyeball
Eye muscles
Eyelids
Conjunctiva
Lacrimal apparatus

9. The Eyeball
Composed of three layers:
Sclera
Choroid
Retina

10. Sclera
Outermost layer
Tough protective layer
Another term for sclera
is white of eye
Anterior portion is
cornea

11. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the eye.

12. Cornea
Anterior portion of sclera
Clear, transparent
Allows light to enter

Bends, or refracts, light rays

13. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Figure 13 .1 – The internal structures of the eye.

14. Choroid
Middle layer
Provides blood supply for eye
Anterior portion:
Iris
Pupil
Ciliary body

15. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Figure 13 .1 – The internal structures of the eye.

16. Iris and Pupil
Iris
Colored portion of eye
Smooth muscle that changes size of pupil
Pupil
Opening in center of iris
Allows light to enter into eyeball

17. Ciliary Body and Lens
Lens
Behind iris
Not actually part of
choroid layer
Attached to ciliary body
Ciliary body
Pulls on edge of lens
Changes shape of lens
so it can focus light onto
retina

18. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Figure 13 .1 – The internal structures of the eye.

19. Retina
Contains sensory receptor
cells that detect light rays
Rods
Active in dim light
See gray tones
Cones
Active only in bright light
Color vision

20. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Figure 13 .1 – The internal structures of the eye.

21. Retina
Macula lutea
Area of retina where image forms
Fovea centralis
Depression in center of macula lutea
High number of cones
Point of clearest vision

22. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the eye.

23. Optic Disk
Point where the optic nerve
leaves eyeball
Retinal blood vessels enter and
leave through optic disk
No rods or cones
Results in blind spot in each eye’s
field of vision

24. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Photograph of the retina of the eye. The optic disk appears
yellow and the retinal arteries radiate out from it.

25. Eye Fluids
Aqueous humor
Watery fluid
Located between cornea and lens
Vitreous humor
Semi-solid gel
Located between lens and retina

26. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the eye.

27. Muscles of the Eye
Six muscles that connect eyeball to skull
4 rectus muscles pull straight
2 oblique muscles pull on an angle
Contract in combination to change direction
in which each eye is looking

28. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The external eye muscles.
h
t
t
p
:
/
/
w
w
w
.
y
o
u
t
u
b
e
.
c
o
m
/
w
a
t
c
h
?
v
=
f
4
R
x
Y
R
p
I
q
L
s
&
f
e
a
t
u
r
e
=
r
e
la
t
e
d

29. Eyelids
A pair cover each eyeball
Provide protection from foreign particles, injury,
sun, and trauma
Both upper and lower edges have eyelashes or
cilia that protect eye from foreign particles
Sebaceous glands located in eyelids secrete a
lubricating oil onto surface of eyeball

30. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the eye.

31. Conjunctiva
A mucous membrane
Forms continuous covering on
underside of each eyelid and
across anterior surface of
each eyeball
Protects eyeball

32. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Figure 13 .1 – The internal structures of the eye.

33. Lacrimal Apparatus
Lacrimal gland
Located under outer upper corner of each eyelid
Produces tears
Tears wash and lubricate anterior surface of eyeball
Lacrimal ducts
Located in inner corner of eye socket
Collect tears
Drain into nasolacrimal duct
Ultimately drain into nasal cavity

34. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Figure 13 .5 – The structure of the lacrimal apparatus.

35. How We See
Light rays pass through:
Cornea
Pupil
Aqueous humor
Lens
Vitreous humor
Then strike retina
Stimulating rods and cones

36. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The path of light through the cornea, pupil, lens, and striking
the retina.

37. How We See
Upside-down
image forms on
retina
Optic nerve
transmits this
image to brain
Brain turns upside-
down image into
right-side up image

38. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The image formed on the retina is inverted. The brain rights
the image as part of the interpretation process.

39. Vision
Vision requires four mechanisms:
Coordination of external eye muscles so that
both eyes move together
Correct amount of light admitted by pupil
Correct focus of light upon retina by lens
Optic nerve transmitting sensory images to
brain

40. Eye Vocabulary
emmetropia
\em-ə-trō-pē-ə\
state of normal vision
legally blind severely impaired vision; having 2 0/2 00 acuity
Nyctalopia
\nik-tə-lō-pē-ə\
difficulty seeing in dim light; also called night blindness
ophthalmology diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye
optician specialist in grinding corrective lenses

41. Eye Vocabulary
optometry
specializing in examining eyes, testing vision,
and prescribing corrective lenses
Papilledema
\pap-əl-ə-’dē-mə\
swelling of the optic disk; also called choked
disk
photophobia strong sensitivity to bright light
presbyopia visual loss due to old age
Xerophthalmia
\zir-äf-thal-mē-ə,
dry eyes

42. Eyeball Pathology
achromatopsia
\ā-krō-mə-täp-sē-ə\
unable to perceive one or more colors; color
blindness
monochromatism unable to perceive one specific color
amblyopia
\am-blē-ō-pē-ə\
loss of vision not as a result of eye pathology;
commonly called lazy eye
corneal abrasion scraping injury to cornea

43. Eyeball Pathology
astigmatism
blurred vision due to uneven cornea; light rays do not
focus sharply on retina
hyperopia
image comes into focus behind retina; can see clearly at
a distance but not up close; also called far sightedness
myopia
image comes into focus in front of retina; can see clearly
up close but not at a distance; also called
nearsightedness

44. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Hyperopia (farsightedness). In the uncorrected top figure,
the image would come into focus behind the retina,
making the image on the retina blurry. The bottom image
shows how a biconvex lens corrects this condition.

45. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Myopia (nearsightedness). In the uncorrected top figure, the
image comes into focus in front of the lens, making the
image on the retina blurry. The bottom image shows how
a biconcave lens corrects this condition.

46. Eyeball Pathology
cataract damage to lens causing it to become cloudy
glaucoma
chronic increase in intraocular pressure; results in
atrophy of optic nerve
macular
degeneration
deterioration of macula lutea area of retina

47. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Photograph of a person with a cataract in the right eye.

48. Click here to view a video on cataracts.
Cataracts Video

49. Click here to view a video on macular degeneration.
Macular Degeneration Video

50. Eyeball Pathology
retinal detachment
separation of retina from choroid layer; damages blood
vessels and nerves causing blindness
retinitis pigmentosa
progressive disease in which retina becomes hard and
pigmented, then atrophies
retinoblastoma malignant eye tumor occurring in young children

51. Conjunctiva Pathology
Pterygium
\te-rij-ē-əm\
hypertrophied (excessively developed) conjunctival
tissue in inner corner of eye
trachoma chronic bacterial infection of conjunctiva
Pronunciation: \te-ˈrij-ē-əm\

52. Eyelid Pathology
hordeolum
purulent infection of sebaceous gland of eyelid; also
called a stye (or sty)

53. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Photograph of an infant with strabismus. The left eye is turned
inward, called esotropia.
(Bart's Medical Library/Phototake NYC)

54. Brain-related Vision Pathology
hemianopia
loss of vision in half of visual field; often result of a
stroke
nystagmus jerky involuntary eye movements; indicator of brain injury

55. Eye Examination Tests
color vision tests
use of multicolored charts to determine ability to
recognize colors
fluorescein
angiography
injection of fluorescein dye into bloodstream to observe
blood flow within eye
fluorescein staining
applying fluorescein eye drops to cornea to look for
corneal abrasions

56. Eye Examination Test

57. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
An example of color blindness test. A person with red-green
color blindness would not be able to distinguish the
green 2 7 from the surrounding red circles.

58. Eye Examination
Tests
keratometry measures curvature of cornea
ophthalmoscopy examination of interior of eye
refractive error test
vision test for defect in ability of eye to focus image
on retina; tests for hyperopia and myopia
slit lamp microscopyexamining posterior surface of cornea

59. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Examination of the interior of the eye using an
ophthalmoscope.

60. Eye Examination Tests
Snellen chart used for testing distance vision
tonometry measures intraocular pressure
visual acuity (VA)measures sharpness of vision

61. Surgical Treatments
cryoextraction
use of extremely cold probe to lift
cataract from lens
Phacoemulsification
\fak-ō-i-məl-sə-fə-kā-shən\
use of high-frequency sound waves to
liquefy lens with a cataract which is then
removed with a needle
keratoplasty
surgical repair of cornea with a cornea
transplant
enucleation
ē-nü-klē-āt\
surgical removal of eyeball

62. Surgical Treatments
laser-assisted
In-situ keratomileusis
(LASIK)
\ker-ət-ō-mil-ü-səs\
correction of myopia using laser surgery to
remove corneal tissue
photorefractive keratectomy
(PRK)
use of laser to reshape cornea; treats myopia
radial keratotomy(RK)
spoke-like incision around cornea to flatten it;
treats myopia

63. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
LASIK surgery. The cornea has been lifted in order to
reshape it. (Chris Barry/Phototake NYC)

64. Surgical Treatments
cryoretinopexy surgical fixation of retina using extreme cold
laser photocoagulation
use of laser to destroy very small precise areas of
retina
scleral buckling
placing band around outside of sclera to stabilize
detached retina
strabotomy incision into eye muscles to correct strabismus

65. Eye Pharmacology
anesthetic
ophthalmic solution
eyedrops to deaden pain
Ocu-Caine,
Pontocaine
antibiotic
ophthalmic solution
eyedrops to treat bacterial infection
Del-Mycin,
Ilotycin
ophthalmic
decongestant
constricts arterioles of eye to
reduce redness and itching
Visine, Murine

66. Eye Pharmacology
antiglaucoma
medication
reduces intraocular
pressure
Betimol, Timoptic
artificial tearstreats dry eyes Akwa Tears, Refresh Plus
miotic constricts pupil Eserine Sulfate, Miostat
mydriatic dilates pupil
Atropine-Care, Atropisol
Ophtalmic

68. The Ear at a Glance
Function of the Ear
Contains sensory
receptors for hearing
and equilibrium
(balance)

69. The Ear at a Glance
Structures of the Ear
Auricle
External ear
Middle ear
Inner ear

70. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.

71. Ear Suffixes
–cusis
hearing
–otia
ear condition

72. Anatomy and Physiology
Otology (Oto) is study of the ear
Audiology is study of hearing disorders
Ear responsible for two senses:
Hearing
Equilibrium or sense of balance
Sensory information carried to brain by
vestibulocochlear nerve
Cochlear nerve – hearing information
Vestibular nerve – balance information

73. The Ear
Ear is subdivided into three regions:
External ear
Middle ear
Inner ear

74. External Ear
Auricle or pinna
Only portion visible
Captures sound
waves
Directs them
through external
auditory meatus

75. External Ear
Auditory canal
Sound moves along
canal
Cerumen
Produced by oil
glands in auditory
canal
Oily wax slowly
flows out of ear
canal removing dirt
that has stuck to it

76. External Ear
Tympanic
membrane
Commonly called
eardrum
Sound waves strike
membrane
Causes it to vibrate
Tympanic membrane
separates external
ear from middle ear

77. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the outer, middle, and inner ear.

78. The Middle Ear
Small cavity
Located in temporal
bone of skull
Contains three tiny
bones called ossicles
Malleus
Incus
Stapes

79. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the outer, middle, and inner ear.

80. Ossicles
Tympanic membrane
vibrates incus
Vibrations amplify as
they move from one
ossicle to next
Stapes transmits
vibration to oval
window
Start of inner ear

81. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Close-up view of the ossicles within the middle ear.

82. Eustachian Tube
Also called auditory tube
Connects nasopharynx with middle ear
Opens with each swallow
Equalizes pressure between middle ear
cavity and atmospheric pressure

83. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the outer, middle, and inner ear.

84. The Inner Ear
Labyrinth
Cavity within
temporal bone
Houses inner ear
Contains sensory
organs

85. Sensory Organs of Inner Ear
Hearing
Cochlea
Organs of Corti
Equilibrium
Semicircular canals
Utricle
Saccule

86. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The internal structures of the outer, middle, and inner ear.

87. How We Hear
Sound waves travel down external auditory
canal, strike eardrum
Eardrum vibrates

88. How We Hear
Ossicles conduct vibrations across middle
ear from eardrum to oval window
Oval window movements initiate vibrations
in fluid that fills cochlea

89. How We Hear
Fluid vibrations strike hair cells, bending small
hairs and stimulating nerve endings
Nerve ending sends electrical impulse to brain on
cochlear portion of vestibulocochlear nerve

90. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
The path of sound waves through the outer, middle, and inner ear.

91. Click here to view an animation on inner ear anatomy.
Inner Ear Anatomy Animation

92. Hearing Loss
Conductive
hearing loss
Disease or malformation
of outer or middle ear
All sound is weaker and
muffled since it is not
conducted correctly to
inner ear
Sensorineural
hearing loss
Damage or malformation of
inner ear (cochlea) or the
cochlear nerve
Sounds are distorted
because nerve impulse is
incorrect

93. Word Building with acous/o, audi/o &
audit/o
–gram audiogram record of hearing
–meter audiometer instrument to measure hearing
–logist audiologist hearing specialist
–tic acoustic pertaining to hearing
–ory auditory pertaining to hearing

94. Word Building with aur/o, auricul/o,
cochle/o and salping/o
–ar auricular pertaining to ear
–al aural pertaining to ear
–ar cochlear pertaining to cochlea
–itis salpingitis inflammation of eustachian tube
–otomy salpingotomy incision into eustachian tube

95. Word Building with labyrinth/o &
myring/o
–itis myringitis inflammation of eardrum
–ectomy myringectomy removal of eardrum
–plasty myringoplasty surgical repair of eardrum
–ectomy labyrinthectomy removal of labyrinth
–otomy labyrinthotomy incision into labyrinth

96. Word Building with ot/o
–algia otalgia ear pain
–ic otic pertaining to ear
–itis otitis inflammation of ear
–logist otologist ear specialist
–rrhagia otorrhagia bleeding from ear

97. Word Building with ot/o
–scope otoscope instrument to view ear
–plasty otoplasty surgical repair of ear
myc/o
–osis
otomycosis abnormal condition of ear fungus
py/o
–rrhea
otopyorrhea discharge of pus from ear

98. Word Building with tympan/o
–ic tympanic pertaining to eardrum
–itis tympanitis inflammation of eardrum
–meter tympanometer instrument to measure eardrum
–plasty tympanoplasty surgical repair of eardrum
–rrhexis tympanorrhexis ruptured eardrum
–otomy tympanotomy incision into eardrum
–ectomy tympanectomy removal of eardrum

99. Word Building with –otia
macro– macrotia large ears
micro– microtia small ears

100. Ear Vocabulary
American Sign
Language (ASL)
nonverbal method of communicating using hands and
fingers to represent words and concepts
binaural referring to both ears
monaural referring to one ear
decibel (dB) measures loudness of sound
hertz (Hz) measures pitch of sound

101. Ear Vocabulary
otorhinolaryngology (ENT)
diagnosis and treatment of diseases of ear,
nose, and throat
presbycusis normal loss of hearing with age
residual hearing
amount of hearing remaining after damage has
occurred
tinnitus ringing in ears
vertigo dizziness

102. Hearing Loss Pathology
anacusis total absence of hearing; total deafness
deafness
inability to hear or having some degree of hearing
impairment

103. External Ear Pathology
Ceruminoma
\sə-rü-mə-nəs\
excessive accumulation of earwax forming hard wax
plug
otitis externa (OE)
external ear infection; often by fungus; also called
otomycosis or swimmer’s ear

104. Middle Ear Pathology
otitis media (OM)
infection of middle ear; most commonly seen in
children; watery fluid (serous otitis media) or pus
(purulent otitis media) accumulates in middle ear cavity
otosclerosis
loss of mobility of stapes bone; leads to hearing loss as
it cannot vibrate

105. Inner Ear Pathology
acoustic neuroma
benign tumor of cochlear nerve; symptoms include
tinnitus, headache, dizziness, and hearing loss
labyrinthitis
inner ear infection; causes hearing and equilibrium
symptoms
Ménière’s disease
progressive hearing loss, vertigo, and tinnitus; causes
not well understood

106. Audiology Tests
audiometry
test of hearing ability in regards to both intensity and
pitch person is able to hear
Rinne & Weber
tuning fork tests
use of a tuning fork placed either next to ear or
against skull to assess both nerve and bone
conduction of sound

107. Otology Tests
otoscopy examination of ear canal and eardrum
tympanometry
measurement of movement of tympanic membrane
to asses pressure inside middle ear

108. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
An otoscope, used to visually examine the external auditory
ear canal and tympanic membrane.

109. Click here to view a video on audiometry.
Audiometry Video

110. Balance Tests
falling test
assesses equilibrium;
balancing on one foot with
eyes open and then
closed

111. Audiology Procedures
hearing aid mechanical device used to amplify sound

112. Surgical Treatments
cochlear implant
mechanical device surgically placed behind outer
ear; converts sound into magnetic impulses to
stimulate auditory nerve; treats sensorineural
hearing loss
Myringotomy
\mir-ən-gät-ə-mē\
incision into eardrum to drain fluid accumulated in
middle ear cavity
pressure equalizing
tube (PE tube)
surgical placement of tube in eardrum to allow for
continuous drainage of fluid from middle ear cavity
stapedectomy replacement of damaged stapes

113. Medical Terminology: A Living Language, Fourth Edition
Bonnie F. Fremgen and Suzanne S. Frucht
Copyright ©2 009 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
All rights reserved.
Photograph of a child with a cochlear implant.

114. Ear Pharmacology
antibiotic otic
solution
eardrops to treat otitis externaNeomycin, Otocort
antiemetics
treats nausea associated with
vertigo
Antivert,
Compazine
anti-inflammatory
otic solution
reduces inflammation and itching
of otitis externa
Allergan Ear Drops
wax emulsifiers softens ear wax Debrox Drops