Senile changes in the Eye
Arcus senilis is a fatty infiltration of the cornea near its margins. This starts as two
white crescent superiority and inferiorly, Eventually the arcs fuse. The fatty degeneration
occurs first in the superficial stroma and the Bowman's membrane.
Loss of accommodation results from hardening changes in the nucleus of the lens and
changes in the ciliary body.
Thickening of the sclera also occurs. The
Sclera become yellowish as the result of fatty infiltration.
Senile myosis or presbyopia occurs as the result of increasing rigidity of the ciliary
body due to increasing deposits of connective tissue. This connective tissue interferes with
the contraction of the ciliary muscle, preventing sufficient accommodation of the lens to
focus objects.
Congenital Anomalies
Strabismus:
Normal binocular vision begins to develop in very early infancy. If strabismus is
present after the third month and is allowed to continue without treatment, amblyopia or
diminished vision of the affected eye may result because of cortical suppression of the
deviation image. There is a strong familial tendency to strabismus.
Cataract:
In cases of congenital cataract, the lens becomes opaque during intrauterine life. The
principal causes appear to be genetic, infection, and malnutrition. If the mother is exposed to
the rubella virus before the seventh week of pregnancy, a time when the lens is actively
developing, and before the development of the lens capsule, the child may have congenital
cataract. If the mother contracts rubella after the seventh week, the lens is rarely affected.
Many of the children with congenital cataract are of low birth weight and may have suffered
from intrauterine malnutrition resulting from poor diet during the mother’s pregnancy,
maternal toxemia, or multiple pregnancy. Chromosomal abnormalities may be another
factor;Down syndrome, for example, carries an increased incidence of congenital cataract.
Glaucoma:
In congenital glaucoma, there is elevated IOP resulting from a developmental
anomaly of the absorption mechanism of aqueous humour from the anterior chamber of the
eye. Eighty percent of cases are bilateral, and the condition is responsible for 5 to 10 of
blindness in children. The eye may be enlarged.
Arcus senilis is a fatty infiltration of the cornea near its margins. This starts as two
white crescent superiority and inferiorly, Eventually the arcs fuse. The fatty degeneration
occurs first in the superficial stroma and the Bowman's membrane.
Loss of accommodation results from hardening changes in the nucleus of the lens and
changes in the ciliary body.
Thickening of the sclera also occurs. The
Sclera become yellowish as the result of fatty infiltration.
Senile myosis or presbyopia occurs as the result of increasing rigidity of the ciliary
body due to increasing deposits of connective tissue. This connective tissue interferes with
the contraction of the ciliary muscle, preventing sufficient accommodation of the lens to
focus objects.
Congenital Anomalies
Strabismus:
Normal binocular vision begins to develop in very early infancy. If strabismus is
present after the third month and is allowed to continue without treatment, amblyopia or
diminished vision of the affected eye may result because of cortical suppression of the
deviation image. There is a strong familial tendency to strabismus.
Cataract:
In cases of congenital cataract, the lens becomes opaque during intrauterine life. The
principal causes appear to be genetic, infection, and malnutrition. If the mother is exposed to
the rubella virus before the seventh week of pregnancy, a time when the lens is actively
developing, and before the development of the lens capsule, the child may have congenital
cataract. If the mother contracts rubella after the seventh week, the lens is rarely affected.
Many of the children with congenital cataract are of low birth weight and may have suffered
from intrauterine malnutrition resulting from poor diet during the mother’s pregnancy,
maternal toxemia, or multiple pregnancy. Chromosomal abnormalities may be another
factor;Down syndrome, for example, carries an increased incidence of congenital cataract.
Glaucoma:
In congenital glaucoma, there is elevated IOP resulting from a developmental
anomaly of the absorption mechanism of aqueous humour from the anterior chamber of the
eye. Eighty percent of cases are bilateral, and the condition is responsible for 5 to 10 of
blindness in children. The eye may be enlarged.
