SPECIAL SENSES

SENSE, SENSATION, &

PERCEPTION
TYPES OF SENSORY RECEPTORS
● Sense is the ability to
1.MECHANORECEPTORS respond
perceive stimuli. Sensation is
to mechanical stimuli, such as the
the conscious or
bending or stretching of receptors.
subconscious awareness of
changes in the external or 2.CHEMORECEPTORS respond to
internal environment. chemicals, such as odor molecules.
Perception is the conscious
3.PHOTORECEPTORS respond to
interpretation of sensations.
light
" Perception is primarily a function
4.THERMORECEPTORS respond to
of the cerebral cortex. We have no
temperature changes.
perception of some sensory
information because it never 5.NOCICEPTORS respond to stimuli
reaches the cerebral cortex." that result in the sensation of pain.
CLASSIFICATION OF SENSES
EXAMPLE

SENSORY RECEPTORS

● Sensory receptors are sensory

nerve endings or specialized
PROCESS OF STIMULATION
cells capable of responding to
stimuli by developing action
potentials
● Selectivity is the
characteristic of a sensory
receptor to respond to a
specific stimuli.
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MAJOR FEATURES OF EYES AND
IT'S FUNCTION
ANATOMY OF THE EYE
● Ophthalmology is the science
that deals with the eyes and
their disorders.
1.
● Eyeball is a hollow, fluid-filled
sphere. The eye is 1 inch (2.5
cm) in diameter and is
located in the anterior
portion of the orbit.
● The orbit is the bony
structure of
● the skull that surrounds the
eye and offers protection to
the eye.
2.
● There are three layers that
comprise the eye wall:
1. Fibrous tunic – outermost
layer
2. Vascular tunic – intermediate
layer
3. Nervous tunic – innermost
layer
Fibrous tunic is consist of sclera and
cornea.
a.Sclera
● a connective tissue layer
● a.k.a. “the white of the eye”
protect internal eye
structures
● provide attachment for
muscles
b. Cornea
● a transparent structure that
bends, or refracts, the
entering light.
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● the colored part of the eye

Vascular tunic contains blood

control the diameter of the
vessels of the eye. It has three
pupil (the opening of the eye
components.
where light passes through).
a.Choroid

● thin structure of vascular

network that has melanin to
absorb light and prevent
reflection

b.Ciliary body

● a contains ciliary muscles, a Nervous tunic consists of the retina

group of smooth muscles,
that holds the lens (a flexible,
biconvex, transparent disc) in
place through the suspensory
ligaments produces the
aqueous humor
c.Iris
which is composed of two layers.
a.Pigmented retina the outermost
layer
● prevent reflection of light,
function together with the
choroid
b.Sensory retina

● the innermost layer

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● contains photoreceptor cells,
called rods and cones
-Vitamin A is important in the
production of Rhodopsin, a protein
that is sensitive to light and is
important in seeing in the dark.
Hence, low amount of vitamin A
3.
● Optic disc is a creamy-pink to
white depressed area in the
retina. The optic nerve enters
and exits the eyeball at this
area.
● The optic disc is also known
as the “blind spot” because it
contains only nerve fibers,
lacks photoreceptor cells, and
is insensitive to light.
4.
● Macula lutea is a small, oval,
yellowishpink area located
laterally and temporally to
the optic disc.
● The central depressed part of
the macula is the fovea
centralis, the area of sharpest
and keenest vision, where
most acute vision occurs.
● The functions of macula lutea
include: central vision, night
andcolor vision, and motion
detection.
5.
● Vitreous humor, or vitreous
alone, is a gel- like substance
that maintains the shape of
the eye.
● It provides additional
physical support to the retina
6.
● Vitreous body or chamber
contains a gelatinous
substance that occupies
chamber, the space between
the lens and the retina.
● It also transmits light and
gives the shape to the
posterior eye.
7.
The Aqueous chamber is divided
into two:
● the anterior chamber, which
lies between the cornea and
the iris and
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● the posterior chamber that changes to focus on near or
lies, between the iris and the distant objects.
lens.
11.
8.
● Conjunctivae: Thin,
● Aqueous humor is a clear, transparent mucous
watery fluid that fills the membranes of the eye that
anterior and posterior line the posterior surface of
chambers of the eye. each eyelid, located over the
● It is produced by the ciliary sclera.
bodies (processes), and the
12.
fluid drains into the canal of
Schlemm. ● Lacrimal gland: Produces
tears that are drained through
9.
the punctum into the lacrimal
● Canal of Schlemm is the duct and sac.
passageway that extends
completely around the eye; it
permits fluid to drain out of
the eye into the systemic
circulation so that a constant
intraocular pressure (IOP) is
maintained.

10.

● Lens is a transparent convex

13.
structure behind the iris and
in front of the vitreous body ● Eye muscles do not work
● The lens bends rays of light so independently; each muscle
that the light falls on the works with the muscle that
retina. The curve of the lens
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produces the opposite object irrelevant of its
movement. distance.
● When looking at a distant
FUNCTION OF THE EYE
(>20 feet) object, the ciliary
1.Light Refraction muscles relaxes; thus, the
suspensory ligaments
● When light passes through a
concave or flattened lens, the
light bends outward (diverge)
● When light passes through a
convex or rounded lens, the
light bends inward
(converge)
● Focusing causes the light rays
to converge toward the
crossing point or the “Focal
Point” (FP).

● The focal point in the eye maintains its tension against

occurs just anterior to the
retina, and the tiny image that
is focused on the retina is
inverted compared to the
actual object
the lens, keeping it flat.
● When looking at a near (<20
feet) object, the ciliary
muscles contracts, pulling the
ciliary body towards the lens,
reducing the tension at the
suspensory ligaments; hence,
allowing the lens to assume a
rounded shape

FUNCTION OF THE EYE

● The visual pathway explains

2. Focusing image on the retina how visual signals reach the
brain. Optic nerves provide
● Influenced by the shape of
output from the retina to the
the sense
brain.
● Accommodation is the ability
● Optic chiasm (crossover) is
of the eye to focus on an
where ‘some’ optic nerves
 SPECIAL SENSES
cross to the other side of the 1.
brain.
External ear is composed of the
● After passing the chiasm, the
auricle, external auditory canal, and
optic nerve is now part of the
eardrum.
optic tract which enters the
brain and most of them a. Auricle
terminate in the lateral
● a.k.a. “pinna”, is a flap of
geniculate nucleus of the
elastic cartilage shaped like
thalamus.
the flared end of a trumpet
● At this point, the optic tract
and covered by skin. The rim
synapses with neurons whose
is called helix while the
axons form the optic
inferior part is termed as
radiations, which project to
lobule.
the primary visual areas in the
occipital lobes of the cerebral b. External AC
cortex, and visual perception
● curved tube about 2.5 cm (1
begins.
inch) long that lies in the
temporal bone and leads to
the eardrum.
ANATOMY OF THE EAR
c. Tympanic membrane
-Otorhinolaryngology is the science
that deals with the ears, nose, ● a.k.a. “eardrum”, is a thin,
pharynx (throat), and larynx (voice semitransparent partition
box) and their disorders. between the external
auditory canal and middle
THREE MAIN DIVISION OF THE
ear. Sound waves causes it to
EAR
vibrate.

ANATOMY OF THE MIDDLE EAR

2.

Middle ear is consist of the auditory

tube and the auditory ossicles.

a. Auditory ossicles – conduct

sound vibrations from the outer ear
to the central hearing apparatus in
the inner ear.
ANATOMY OF THE EXTERNAL EAR
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● The malleus (hammer) is -The tensor tympani and stapedius
connected to the ear drum (the smallest skeletal muscle)
and transmit vibrations to the muscles protect the inner ear by
incus. reducing the amplitude of loud
● The incus sounds.
(advil)
Internal ear is a.k.a. the labyrinth
articulates
and is consist of two divisions.
with the head
of the stapes. a. Bony labyrinth – divided into
● The base or three areas: semicircular canals,
footplate of vestibule, and cochlea.
the stapes
1. Semicircular canal – contain fluid
(stirrup) fits
(perilymph) and hair cells
into the oval
connected to sensory nerve fibers of
window.
the vestibular portion of the eighth
cranial nerve.

2.Vestibule – an oval central portion

of the bony labyrinth responsible
for balance.

3.Cochlea – a snail-shaped organ

that contains the organ of Corti and
is responsible for hearing.

b. Membranous labyrinth –
contains (endolymph) houses the
receptors for hearing and
equilibrium.

b.Auditory tube

● equalizes the air pressure

between the middle ear and
the external environment to
prevent rupturing of the ear
drum.

ANATOMY OF THE INTERNAL EAR

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The cochlear branch of the CN 8
transmits neuro-impulses from the
cochlea to the brain, where they are
used to measure distance
vision
● The client is positioned in a
well-lit spot 20 feet from the
chart and asked to read the
smallest line that he or she
can discern.
● Record the result using the
fraction at the end of the last
line successfully read on the
chart.
● Normal visual acuity is 20/20.

interpreted as sound. ISHIHARA CHART

-The cochlear branch of the CN 8 ● Ishihara chart is used for

transmits neuro-impulses from the
cochlea to the brain, where they are
interpreted as sound.The vestibular
branch maintains balance and
equilibrium .
testing and consists of
numbers composed of
colored dots located within a
circle of colored dots.
● The test is sensitive for the
diagnosis of red-green
blindness but cannot detect
discrimination of blue.

TEST FOR TEST FOR HEARING FUNCTION

VISUAL
RINNE'S & WEBER'S TEST
FUNCTION
● Tuning fork tests are used to
SNELLEN EYE
measure hearing on the basis
CHART
of air conduction or bone
● Snellen conduction.
eye chart ● It includes Rinne’s and
a tool Weber’s test.
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o The Weber’s test determines
whether the client has a
COMMON EYE DISORDERS
conductive or sensorineural
hearing loss. LEGAL BLINDNESS
o In conductive loss, the sound
● Visual acuity of 20/200 or
travels toward the impaired
worse
ear while in sensorineural
● When speaking to the client
loss, the sound travels toward
who has limited sight or is
the good ear
blind, the nurse should use a
o The Rinne’s test also
normal tone of voice.
determines whether the
● Allow the client to touch
client has a conductive or
objects in the room. Instruct
sensorineural hearing loss
the client in the use of the
o Normally the sound is heard
cane for the blind
twice as long by way of air
conduction (AC) (near the
ear canal) than by way of
bone conduction (BC) (at the
mastoid process)
● 2AC:1BC = Normal
● AC > BC, but not 2x =
Sensorineural HL
● AC = or < BC = Conductive
HL
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● Instruct the client that the ● Myopia – nearsightedness;
cane sweeps the ground object is focus in front of the
where the client’s foot will be retina.
placed next to determine the
presence of obstacles

CATARACTS

● Opacity of the lens that can

progress to blindness
● Surgical removal of the lens, 1
eye at a time, is performed
and lens implantation will
follow to replace the it.

GLAUCOMA
● Astigmatism – irregularly
● A group of ocular diseases shaped lens causes distorted
resulting in increased images
intraocular pressure (IOP)
● Caused by inadequate
drainage of aqueous humor COMMON EAR DISORDER
from the canal of Schlemm or
MENIERE’S SYNDROME/DISEASE
overproduction of aqueous
humor. ● A.k.a. endolymphatic hydrops
● The condition damages the ● Attributed to the imbalance
optic nerve and can result in of the fluids in the inner ear
blindness. ● Symptoms include: tinnitus,
● Has two types: Primary Open- vertigo, unilateral
Angle Glaucoma (POAC) and sensorineural hearing loss
Primary AngleClosure
Glaucoma (PACG)

TYPES OF GLAUCOMA

REFRACTION DISORDER

● Hyperopia – farsightedness;
object is focused behind the
retina.