Glossary

Medical language is not always clear and easy to understand. Specialists often use very technical words relating to diagnosis or treatment which are difficult to understand.

We have prepared a short glossary of some of the words used in ophthalmology which could be of interest to you. We hope you find it useful.

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Accommodation

The ability of the eye to focus clearly for near and far distances

Aphakia

Lack of crystalline

Amaurosis

Vision loss commonly known as blindness

Amblyopia

Significant reduction in visual acuity caused by visual underdevelopment in early childhood

Ametropia

Refractive error that can be compensated by optical correction

Angioscopy

Observing vascular functionality and the layers at the back of the eye with an ophthalmoscope

Aniridia

Absence of the iris, either congenital or traumatic

Anisocoria

Pupils of different size

Anisometropia

Different refractive power in each eye

Anophthalmia

Absence of eyeballs

Astigmatism

Refractive error that varies depending on the meridian affected, resulting in blurred near and far vision

Anterior chamber

An area in the front of the eye between the cornea and iris containing aqueous humour