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PATIENT 

Ophthalmology 

by Peter Simcock Illustrated by Jane Fallows 

Series Editor: J Richard Smith 

HEALTH PRESS 

PICTURES 

Clinical drawings for your patients 

© 2001 Health Press Ltd

PATIENT 

Ophthalmology 

by Peter Simcock MRCP FRCS FRCOphth DO 

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, West of England Eye Unit, 

Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK 

Series Editor: J Richard Smith MD MRCOG 

Consultant Gynaecologist, 

PICTURES 

Clinical drawings for your patients 

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, 

and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 

Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK 

Illustrated by Jane Fallows, MeDee Art, London, UK 

HEALTH PRESS 

Oxford 


Patient Pictures – Ophthalmology 

First published 2001 

Text © 2001 Peter Simcock 

© 2001 in this edition Health Press Limited 

Health Press Limited, Elizabeth House, Queen Street, 

Abingdon, Oxford OX14 3JR, UK 

Tel: (01235) 523233 

Fax: (01235) 523238 

Patient Pictures is a trade mark of Health Press Limited. 

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be 

reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any 

form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying 

(except under the terms of a recognized photocopying 

licensing scheme), recording or otherwise, without express 

permission of the publisher. 

The right of Peter Simcock to be identified as the author of 

this work has been asserted in accordance with the 

Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988 Sections 77 and 78. 

The publisher and author have made every attempt to ensure 

the accuracy of this book, but cannot accept responsibility 

for any errors or omissions. 

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the 

British Library. 

ISBN 1-899541-95-0 

Jane Fallows thanks Dee McLean for her help with the 

illustrations. 

Printed by Uniskill Ltd, Witney, UK. 


Reproduction authorization 

The purchaser of this Patient Pictures series title is hereby authorized to reproduce 

by photocopy only, any part of the pictorial and textual material contained in this 

work for non-profit, educational, or patient education use. Photocopying for these 

purposes only is welcomed and free from further permission requirements from 

the publisher and free from any fee. 

The reproduction of any material from this publication outside the guidelines 

above is strictly prohibited without the permission in writing of the publisher 

and is subject to minimum charges laid down by the Publishers Licensing Society 

Limited or its nominees. 

Publisher, Health Press Limited, Oxford 


Author’s preface 

Sight is perhaps the most important of the senses. 

Many patients who consult their doctor or 

optometrist with a visual disturbance have a genuine 

fear of blindness. Examination of the eye can reveal 

local problems, such as a cataract or glaucoma, but 

can also provide evidence of medical conditions 

including high blood pressure and diabetes. 

There are a variety of surgical and laser procedures now available to treat many 

eye conditions. The aim of this book is to help healthcare professionals explain 

these treatments simply and clearly to their patients, with the aid of informative 

diagrams and concise explanatory notes. Communication at a level that is easily 

understood by patients will help them to make informed judgements about their 

own healthcare and alleviate anxiety about proposed treatments. 

Peter Simcock MRCP FRCS FRCOphth DO 

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon, West of England Eye Unit, 

Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter, UK 


The eye and eyelid 

• The eye works in a similar way to a camera. Light enters 

the eye and is focused onto the retina, the light-sensitive 

surface at the back of the eye. 

• The clear window at the front of the eye is the cornea, 

which provides coarse focusing power. A lens lies behind 

the iris, the coloured part of the eye, and does the fine 

focusing. Muscles attached to the lens can change its 

shape, so light can be focused when looking at close 

or distant objects. 

• The pupil is the black hole in the middle of the iris. Its 

size can change to control the amount of light reaching 

the retina, like the aperture in a camera. In dim light, 

the pupil gets wider to let more light into the eye, and 

in bright light it gets smaller to reduce the amount of 

light entering. 

• The retina changes the image of the outside world into 

electrical impulses, which travel to the brain along the 

optic nerve. 

• The eyelids protect and clean the front of the eye. The 

upper eyelid blinks and washes tears over the surface of 

the eye. Tears are formed by glands around the eye and 

in the eyelids. Tears drain out of the eyes and into the 

nose through channels called tear ducts. 

• Muscles attached to the surface of the eyes allow them 

to move exactly together. Both eyes are protected by the 

orbital bone, except at the front. 


Side view 

Eyelid 

Iris 

Pupil 

Watery fluid 

(aqueous) 

Cornea 

Muscle that 

changes shape 

of lens 

© Health Press Limited 

Eye 

Muscles that move eye 

Optic nerve 

Orbital bone 

surrounding eye 

Nerve pathway to brain 

Vision processing in brain 

© 2001 Health Press Ltd 

Retina 

Glands that produce tears 

Upper eyelid 

Pupil 

Iris 

Lower eyelid 

Tear duct into nose 

From above 

Clear jelly 

(vitreous) 

Lens 

Optic nerve 

to brain 

1

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