Basics of Pathology for Ophthalmology Board Exams

Abstract

Basic ophthalmology exams usually include some questions on general pathology, where these questions do not dig deep into advanced pathology, but rather on important concepts in general pathology and important information related to ocular pathology. The number of questions vary widely between exams, but usually five questions are asked about general pathology. An example of such questions is asking about the role of the P53 gene, where it is a tumor suppressor gene that works by binding to another gene to stop the division of abnormal mutant cells.

This chapter will begin with an overview on important concepts and definitions, followed by most important cytokine categories and most important information about them. After that, a brief on tumor suppressor and oncogene will be discussed, followed by acute and chronic inflammation. The details of healing in different ocular structures are then discussed. The next section is concerned with steins used in histology and pathology, where a question on these steins is common in basic exams. The final section contains general notes that may appear in exams.