Chorioretinal is a medical term that refers to the outer layer of the eyeball that includes both the choroid and retina. The spelling of this word can be a bit tricky, as it features a combination of sounds that are not commonly seen together. To break it down using IPA phonetic transcription, the "ch" at the beginning of the word represents the voiceless palato-alveolar affricate, while the "o" sound is a mid-back rounded vowel. The "rio" combination is pronounced with a stress on the second syllable and features a voiced postalveolar approximant followed by the high back rounded vowel. Finally, the word ends with the voiceless alveolar nasal consonant, "t."
Chorioretinal is an adjective that relates to or is associated with both the choroid and retina of the eye. The term "choroid" refers to the vascular layer of tissue between the sclera and the retina, located in the back part of the eye. It provides necessary nourishment to the retina while also regulating the amount of light that enters the eye. On the other hand, the "retina" is the sensory layer of tissue at the back of the eye that contains specialized cells, such as rods and cones, responsible for converting light into neural signals to be processed by the brain.
Therefore, when something is described as chorioretinal, it usually indicates a condition or an aspect that involves both the choroid and retina. For instance, chorioretinal atrophy refers to the degeneration or wasting away of tissues in both the choroid and the retina, leading to visual impairment or loss. Chorioretinopathy is a general term for any disease or disorder affecting both the choroid and the retina, encompassing conditions like choroidal neovascularization and central serous chorioretinopathy.
Overall, the term "chorioretinal" serves as a vital descriptor in the field of ophthalmology and can be helpful in discussing various diseases, abnormalities, or treatments that involve the interconnected tissues of the choroid and retina in the eye.
Relating to the chorioid coat of the eye and the retina.
A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.
The word "chorioretinal" is derived from combining two anatomical terms - "choroid" and "retina" - that refer to specific parts of the eye.
The term "choroid" comes from the Ancient Greek word "khóros", meaning "pupil" or "space", and the Greek word "eidos", meaning "form" or "resemblance". It was first used back in the 17th century to denote the highly vascular layer of tissue in the eye located between the sclera (the white outer layer) and the retina (the light-sensitive inner layer).
The word "retina" can be traced back to the Latin word "rete", meaning "net" or "web". In Latin, the term "retina" originally referred to the delicate membrane at the back of the eye. This meaning was derived from the resemblance between the blood vessels of the retina and a net.