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what is arteriolar light reflex

by Dr. Ila Blick II Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Increased arteriolar light reflex refers to an increased light reflex from the central portion of the retinal arteriolar surface (Figures 1 and ​ 2).

Full Answer

How does arteriolosclerotic change the appearance of the light reflex?

Increasing thickening of the arteriolar wall caused by the arteriolosclerotic process causes progressive changes in the appearance of the light reflex from the arteriole. Normally, the arteriolar wall is invisible; only the column of red blood cells in the lumen is visible, which appears as the red line we recognize as the vessel.

What is marked enhancement of the retinal arteriolar light reflex?

Marked enhancement of the retinal arteriolar light reflex was defined as presence of a reflex whose width was greater than one third of the arteriolar wall width, irrespective of its intensity but consistently present over at least two thirds of the length of the arteriolar sector visible in the field.

What are the components of the arterial light reflex?

Conclusions. The normal clinically observed arterial light reflex is a reflex with 3 components, a central brightest portion comes from the smooth intra-arteriolar cell free plasma column, another spatially variable component is attributed to structural irregularities of the arteriole wall, and a third dynamic reflex,...

What is the arteriolar light reflex width of the Heidelberg SPECTRALIS?

The arteriolar light reflex width on the en face image of the Heidelberg Spectralis was also measured at the same locations. A continuous bright narrow band of approximately 7.5 % of the arteriole lumen width as measured by indirect AOSLO imaging, was seen that was stable in images.

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What causes the light reflex in a retinal artery?

95. The Light Reflex on the Retinal Vessels. venous pulsation as inducing a temporary stasis, and the crowding of the globules together renders the blood column so opaque that the light does not pass through it to cause the reflex.)

Can high blood pressure cause flashing lights in eyes?

Optic neuropathy: Hypertension can lead to reduced blood flow to the optic nerve, which damages the cells in the eyes. It can lead to permanent vision loss. Symptoms may include: Flashes in the eye.

What are retinal arterioles?

The retinal arterioles are the small arterial branches of the retina and are composed of a single layer of vascular smooth muscle cells and an inner lining of longitudinally arranged endothelial cells12,13,14.

What does AV nicking indicate?

Retinal arteriovenous nicking (AV nicking) is the phenomenon where the venule is compressed or decreases in its caliber at both sides of an arteriovenous crossing. Recent research suggests that retinal AVN is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular diseases such as stroke.

Are flashing lights a symptom of stroke?

Stroke. Bleeding inside the brain can also cause flashes of light. Other stroke symptoms include numbness, weakness, slurred speech, or headache. This is a medical emergency.

Can dehydration cause eye flashes?

Dehydration, stress, lack of sleep, caffeine and certain foods are typical triggers for ocular migraines. When someone describes their flash stemming from only one eye and it is a quick flash usually only seen in the dark almost like a flash from a camera then I often attribute this to the vitreous gel.

Can blocked arteries affect eyesight?

It can cause blurry vision and even blindness. Arteries carry blood to the retina from the heart. Without blood flow, the cells in the retina don't get enough oxygen. They can start to die within minutes or hours.

What is the most common cause of retinal artery occlusion?

High blood pressure and aging are the main risks for CRAO. Glaucoma and diabetes can also raise your risk, as can problems in which your blood is thicker and stickier than normal. In women, the problem has been linked to the use of birth control pills.

Can clogged arteries cause eye problems?

Restricted or blocked blood flow has serious consequences If the resulting loss of brain function is permanent, it's called a stroke, or "brain attack." Partial or complete blindness in one eye can occur if plaque breaks off and occludes the artery to the eye.

What do cotton wool spots indicate?

Cotton wool spots are believed to occur secondary to ischemia from retinal arteriole obstruction. It is thought to represent nerve fiber layer infarct and pre-capillary arteriolar occlusion.

How do you check AV nicking?

What to do?Using ophthalmoscope, find these vessels at their emergence from optic disc and follow them as far out as you can, looking for arteriovenous nicking, which is usually found within 5 disc diameters of optic disc.Measure blood pressure and inquire after other arteriosclerotic risk factors.

What does AV nicking look like?

Arteriovenous nicking, also known as AV nicking, is the phenomenon where, on examination of the eye, a small artery (arteriole) is seen crossing a small vein (venule), which results in the compression of the vein with bulging on either side of the crossing.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure in the eyes?

Most people with hypertensive retinopathy do not have symptoms until late in the disease. Symptoms may include: Double vision, dim vision, or vision loss. Headaches.

When should I worry about eye flashes?

Seeing occasional flashing lights in your eyes usually isn't an issue. But repeated flashes in the forms of bright spots, streaks of lightening, or shooting stars in the corner of your eye can indicate a serious medical condition.

What causes flashing lights in both eyes?

Flashes in the eyes can look like camera flashes or lightening and are usually caused by posterior vitreous detachment (which happens naturally with age), retinal tears or detachments, type 2 diabetes, or macular degeneration. People with migraines can also get an aura with flashing lights in their vision.

Can low blood pressure cause flashing lights in eyes?

Low blood pressure can cause people to see stars or specks of light, particularly if they change position quickly. An example would be standing quickly from a sitting position or rising quickly after stooping or bending over. Pregnancy related high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia) can also cause light flashes.

Materials and Methods

The Blue Mountains Eye Study is a population-based cohort study of vision, common eye diseases, and other health outcomes in an urban predominantly Caucasian population aged ≥ 49 years.

Results

Of 3654 baseline Blue Mountains Eye Study participants, 3520 (96.3%) had photographs gradable in at least 1 eye and data available for this study, after excluding 40 persons with missing blood pressure data and 134 persons with missing photographs (overlap in 28 persons).

Discussion

We used a standardized grading protocol to assess the enhanced retinal arteriolar light reflex sign in our population. This sign was common with an overall prevalence of 32% among persons aged ≥ 50 years.

Abstract

The maintenance of stable blood flow despite changes in the posture of the whole subject or a limb is important. A major change in position causes a change in blood and pulse pressure and activation of arterial baroreflexes. A lesser change in position changes venous volume and activation of venous baroreflexes.

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What causes the light reflex to change?

Increasing thickening of the arteriolar wall caused by the arteriolosclerotic process causes progressive changes in the appearance of the light reflex from the arteriole. Normally, the arteriolar wall is invisible; only the column of red blood cells in the lumen is visible, which appears as the red line we recognize as the vessel. Reflection of the incident light from the convex surface of the normal arteriolar wall causes a thin line of reflected light to appear in the middle of the blood column — the normal light reflex. As the wall becomes thickened, the light reflex loses its brightness and becomes somewhat broader, duller, and more diffuse in appearance. This is the earliest sign of arteriolosclerosis (Figure 1).

What is hypertensive arteriolosclerosis?

Hypertensive arteriolosclerosis refers to the progressive increase in the elastic and muscular components of the wall of the arteriole induced by hypertension. With longstanding hypertension, elastic tissue forms multiple concentric layers in the intima of the arteriole. The muscular layer can be replaced by collagen fibers, and the intima can be replaced by hyalin thickening. These changes result in the “onion skin” appearance described by Ashton and Harry. With advancing age, similar changes can develop in the absence of systemic hypertension; such changes are termed senile or involutional arteriolosclerosis. These changes are accelerated by hypertension.

What causes arteriolovenous crossing?

Arteriolosclerotic thickening of the vessel wall also affects the appearance of the arteriolovenous crossing. The arteriole and venule usually share a common adventitial sheath where they cross, with the venule lying anteriorly. Both vascular sclerosis and prevascular glial cell proliferation contribute to the compression of the venule and constriction of its lumen, causing the appearance of arteriolovenous “nicking.” This venous compression (Gunn’s sign) varies in severity, from a very mild tapering of the venous blood column, to more severe tapering, to interruption of the visible column.

What causes deflection of the venule?

The sclerotic changes also can cause deflection of the venule as it crosses the arteriole (Salus’ sign). Normally, the venule crosses the arteriole at an acute angle. With increasing sclerotic changes , the venule assumes a more obtuse angle with respect to the arteriole at the common crossing, and in some cases it crosses the arteriole at a right angle.

Is hypertension a vasospasm?

Traditionally, the arteriolar changes of hypertension have been considered to result primarily from vasospasm, whereas the arteriolosclerotic changes result from thickening of the arteriolar wall. Because hypertension has such as important effect on the development of arteriolosclerotic changes, it is impossible to consider them entirely separately. This relationship must be considered when any of the existing classifications of hypertensive or arteriolosclerotic changes are used.

Is diffuse arteriolar narrowing a sign of hypertension?

Although it can be seen as an acute vasospastic response to acute hypertension, it is more commonly seen in chronic hypertension. This reduction in the caliber of arterioles is largely responsible for the reduction of the arteriole-to-venule (A/V) ration associated with hypertension. The normal ration is 2:3.

Can a retinal macroaneurysm cause hypertension?

Retin al macroaneurysms also may be associated with hypertension (Figure 3). In a review of 120 patients with retinal arterial macroaneurysms, 75% of patient in the series were women and 67% had hypertension.

Why is the pupillary light reflex maintained in humans who are blind?

The pupillary light reflex (PLR) is maintained in humans who are blind because of extrinsic outer retinal damage , indicating the presence of intrinsically photosensitive cells in the retina [2].

What is reflex in psychology?

a reflected action or movement; the sum total of any particular automatic response mediated by the nervous system. A reflex is built into the nervous system and does not need the intervention of conscious thought to take effect.

How many patients with absent pupillary light reflexes have a poor outcome?

This is similar to the study of NIMHANS 14 in which 98.40% (40) of the patients with absent pupillary light reflex were found to have a poor outcome.

What is the hot stove reflex?

Trunk and leg muscles respond to support the body in its sudden change of position, and the head and eyes turn to look at the cause of the injury. All this happens while the person is becoming aware of the burning sensation. A reflex that protects the body from injury, as this one does, is called a nociceptive reflex . Sneezing, coughing, and gagging are similar reflexes in response to foreign bodies in the nose and throat, and the wink reflex helps protect the eyes from injury.

What are the reflexes that help the body maintain balance?

Other simple reflexes, the stretch reflexes, help the body maintain its balance. Every time a muscle is stretched, it reacts with a reflex impulse to contract. As a person reaches or leans, the skeletal muscles tense and tighten, tending to hold him and keep him from falling. Even in standing still, the stretch reflexes in the skeletal muscles make many tiny adjustments to keep the body erect.

What is the simplest reflex?

The knee jerk is an example of the simplest type of reflex. When the knee is tapped, the nerve that receives this stimulus sends an impulse to the spinal cord, where it is relayed to a motor nerve. This causes the quadriceps muscle at the front of the thigh to contract and jerk the leg up. This reflex, or simple reflex arc, involves only two nerves and one synapse. The leg begins to jerk up while the brain is just becoming aware of the tap.

What is accommodation reflex?

accommodation reflex the coordinated changes that occur when the eye adapts itself for near vision; they are constriction of the pupil, convergence of the eyes, and increased convexity of the lens.

What is the pupillary light reflex?

The pupillary light reflex constricts the pupil in response to light, and pupillary constriction is achieved through the innervation of the iris sphincter muscle. Eyes allow for visualization of the world by receiving and processing light stimuli. The pupillary light reflex constricts the pupil in response to light, ...

Where does light travel?

Anatomy and Physiology. Light travels through the cornea, anterior chamber, pupil, lens, and the posterior chamber, eventually reaching the retina. Photoreceptor cells in the outer layers of the retina, which are called rods and cones, convert light stimuli into neuronal impulses.

What is the contraction of the iris sphincter muscles?

The contraction of the iris sphincter muscles leads to pupillary constriction (miosis).[3] This extensive pathway is being tested when a light is shined in the eyes. And, because of the crossing fibers, there is not only a direct pupillary reflex but also a consensual pupillary light reflex.

Which nerve sends impulses to the brain for further processing and image recognition?

The optic nerve sends impulses to the brain for further processing and image recognition.[1] These are the first steps of the pupillary light reflex afferent pathway. The optic nerve then forms the optic chiasm, which diverges into a left and right optic tract.

How to observe PLR?

Then, withdraw the light for few seconds, followed by stimulating the same eye again but this time observe the indirect, or consensual, PLR in the opposite eye. It may be helpful to have the nurse control the light stimulus while you observe the unstimulated eye.

Which side of the optic chiasm is the temporal retinal fiber?

At the optic chiasm, nasal retinal fibers will cross to the contralateral side of the optic tract, and the temporal retinal fibers continue on the ipsilateral side. Thus, the right optic tract will contain temporal retinal fibers from the right eye, as well as nasal retinal fibers from the left eye.

Where do optic tracts send signals?

The optic tracts join the brachium of the superior colliculus, and then signals travel to the pretectal area of the midbrain. Each pretectal area sends bilateral signals to the preganglionic parasympathetic nuclei in the midbrain called Edinger-Westphal nuclei.

Introduction

Microcirculation is critical for nutrient delivery, also for waste removal, contributing to peripheral vascular resistance through various complex mechanisms acting on local Starling forces ( Levy et al., 2001 ).

Materials and Methods

Twelve healthy, non-smoking subjects (26.0 ± 5.0 y.o., seven females, five males) participated in this study after informed written consent. Procedures respected all principles of good clinical practice determined by the Declaration of Helsinki and subsequent amendments ( World Medical Association, 2013 ).

Results

Table 1 summarizes the perfusion and the components' amplitude ratio values for both feet in baseline, challenge and recovery phases of all subjects. Comparing values from men and women revealed no differences between sexes in any of the experimental phases.

Discussion

The rhythmic oscillation of vasculature diameter, the vasomotion, described for more than 150 years ( Jones, 1852) results in periodic oscillations ( Aalkjær et al., 2011) or flowmotion, which actually represent the influence of heartbeat, respiration, myogenic, neurogenic and endothelial activities ( Bollinger et al., 1993; Kvernmo et al., 1999; Söderström et al., 2003; Kvandal et al., 2006; Bruning et al., 2015 ).

Conclusions

Our results describe, for the first time, an effective impact of VAR in the contralateral limb, corroborated by other observations about a wider regional control in the lower limb perfusion homeostasis.

Ethics Statement

This study was carried out in accordance with the recommendations of Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, Declaration of Helsinki. The protocol was approved by the School of Health Sciences and Technologies' Ethical Commission. All subjects gave written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Author Contributions

HS and LM conceived the original idea. HS carried out data collection. HS and HF performed data processing. HS and LM wrote the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the final manuscript.

Where is flame shaped hemorrhage?

Flame shaped hemorrhage: Bleeding is in the superficial retinal layer

Which blood vessel has distinct features?

Retinal blood vessels have distinct features, which differentiate them from other blood vessels[10]:

Why do stars form in the macula?

Macular star formation due to deposition of hard exudates around the macula.

What is the treatment for mild hypertensive retinopathy?

Mild hypertensive retinopathy:The treatment consists of controlling of BP with regular monitoring.

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