S

Abbreviations of the Eye and Ear

Megan Moran

PE Tube: Pressure Equalizing Tube

Small tube

Surgically implanted into child’s eardrum to assist in draining trapped fluid

Equalizes pressure between middle ear and outside atmosphere

EENT: Eyes, Ears, Nose and Throat

EENT often refers to a physician or office where the physicians specialize in diagnosing and treating the eyes, ears, nose, and throat

BC: Bone Conduction

Bone conduction is the conduction of sound to the inner ear through the bones of the ear

3 ear bones: Malleus Incus Stapes

BC is why people’s voices sound differently recorded than when they hear themselves talk

The skull conducts better at lower frequencies than air

People usually perceive their voice to be lower and fuller

AU: Both Ears

OM: Otitis Media

Middle Ear Infection/ Inflammation

Commonly seen in children

Fluid accumulation in the ear cavity that may be watery or full of pus

Symptoms Include: fever, ear pain, and a feeling of fullness in the ear

Normal Middle Ear VS. Infected Middle Ear

EM: Emmetropia

State of normal vision

Rays of light that enter the eye focus properly at the retina

No need for corrective lenses or surgery

XT: Extropia

Outward turns outward due to muscle weakness

Also called wall-eyed

Opposite of cross-eyed

Extropia of the Left Eye

OS: Left Eye

EOM: Extraocular Movement

Eye movements controlled by muscles innervated by cranial nerves III, IV and VI.

Testing these eye movements looks for damage to the nerves

Most common symptom from damage is double vision

VA: Visual Acuity

The measurement of the sharpness of vision

Tested by using a Snellen chart

Patient stands 20 feet away from chart and indentifies letters from that distance

References

Fremgen, Bonnie F., and Suzanne S. Frucht. Medical Terminology: A Living Language. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Print.

http://www.medicinenet.com/ear_infection/article.htm

http://www.neuroexam.com/neuroexam/content.php?p=20