OPHTHALMOLOGY:

Anatomy of the Eye Page 1 of 4

MEMORIZE THE PARTS OF THE HUMAN EYE Optic Foramen

POST QUIZ: Label the parts • Opening of the optic canal to the orbit
• Transmit the optic nerve, ophthalmic artery and sympathetic nerves
from the carotid plexus

Superior Orbital Fissure
• Lateral to the optic foramen
• Divided by the Annulus of Zinn (origin of the rectii muscles)
• Lateral portion: Lacrimal, Frontal, Trochlear nerves

• Medial portion: Oculomotor, Nasociliary, Abducens, sympathetic
roots of the ciliary ganglion, superior ophthalmic vein
ORBIT AND ADNEXA


Orbit Inferior Orbital Fissure
• 4 – sided pyramid, base - anterior, apex - posterior • Infraorbital and zygomatic branches of V2, inferior ophthalmic vein
• Medial walls parallel, lateral walls 45° from the medial wall
• Volume: 30 cc Orbital Fascia
• Height x Width x Depth: 35 to 40 mm • Supporting connective tissue
• Limits spread of inflammation and hemorrhage
• 4 main orbital fascia
o Periorbita o Orbital septum
o Tenon’s capsule/ bulbar fascia o Muscular fascia

Ø Bones and Foramen of the Orbit

Periorbita
• Periosteal lining of the orbit
• Frontal • Sphenoidal • From the dura mater
• Zygomatic • Lacrimal • Splits into the periorbita and dural sheath of the optic nerve at the
• Maxillary • Palatine level of the optic foramen
• Ethmoidal

Ø Walls of the Orbit Bulbar Fascia (Tenon’s Capsule)

• A fibrous membrane that envelopes the globe from the limbus to the

Roof of the Orbit

optic nerve
• Frontal bone and the lesser wing of the sphenoid at the apex
• Separates the orbital fat and the globe
• Separates the orbit from the frontal sinuses and the frontal lobe
• Continuous with the EOM’s
Medial Wall • Thickens to form check ligaments
• Maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid, lacrimal bone • Inferiorly, forms a sling called the ligament of Lockwood, which
• Lamina papyracea supports the eyeball

Lateral Wall Orbital Septum
• Zygoma and the greater wing of the sphenoid • Extends from the orbital rim to the eyelids

• Serves as a barrier that holds orbital fat
Orbital Floor
• Prevents spread of infection from the eyelid to the orbit
• Maxilla, palatine, zygoma
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OPHTHALMOLOGY: Anatomy of the Eye Page 2 of 4

EXTRAOCULAR MUSCLES Ø Layers of the Eyelid

• 4 recti and 2 oblique muscles • Layers:
o Skin o Tarsus
Origin o Muscles o Conjunctiva

• 4 recti muscles – annulus of Zinn at the apex
Skin
• Superior oblique – periosteum of the sphenoid bone above and
medial to the optic foramen, functional origin trochlea • Thinnest in the body
• Inferior oblique – maxillary bone; orbital floor near the lacrimal fossa • No fatty layer

Insertion Muscles
• 4 rectii muscles – Spiral of Tillaux • Orbicularis Oculi
• Superior Oblique – inserts to the globe under the superior rectus, o Concentric muscle surrounding the fissure
posterior to the equator in the upper outer quadrant o Orbital and palpebral (preseptal and pretarsal) portions
• Inferior Oblique – inserts to the globe, posterior to the equator, o CN VII
inferior outer quadrant o Closes the palpebral fissure
• Levator palpebra superioris
o Closely related to the superior rectus
o Inserts to the eyelid skin, forming the lid crease
o CN III
o Lifts the superior eyelid
o The capsulopalpebral fascia is the lower lid equivalent
• Mueller’s muscle
o Sheet of smooth muscle under the levator
o Contributes 2 mm of lift to the upper eyelid
Action and Innervation o Sympathetic enervation

Tarsus
• Dense fibrous tissue which gives firmness to the eyelids
• Contains Meibomian glands which opens to the lid margin

Palpebral Conjunctiva

LACRIMAL COMPLEX
Lacrimal System

• Consist of secretory and excretory portions
Blood Supply • Lacrimal glands
o Located in anterior-lateral part of the orbit
• Muscular arteries, from the ophthalmic artery, which is the first
o 2 parts: orbital & palpebral separated by the levator aponeurosis
intracranial branch of the internal carotid artery
o Tubuloalveolar glands innervated by Trigeminal nerve

• Puncta
EYELIDS o 2mm orifices 6mm from the medial canthus
Function
• Protects the eye from external trauma and irritation
• Spreads tears over the surface of the eye
• Controls amount of light entering the eye

• The palpebral fissure measures approx. 12 x 30 mm, the margins

approx. 30 mm and 2 mm wide

• Canaliculi
o Vertical portion 2mm, horizontal portion 8mm
o Upper and lower canaliculi become the common canaliculi and
drains to the sac
• Lacrimal Sac
o Medial portion of the orbit, the lacrimal fossa
• Nasolacrimal duct
o Drains to the inferior nasal meatus in the nasal cavity

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OPHTHALMOLOGY: Anatomy of the Eye Page 3 of 4

THE HUMAN EYE Cornea

• Anterior 1/6 of the globe
• Merges with the sclera and the limbus
• Measures 10.6 mm vertical, 11.7 horizontal
• 1 mm thick at the limbus, 0.52 mm at the center
• Transparent tissue which accounts for most of the refractive power
of the eye, approx.
• Devoid of blood vessels
• Gets nutrition from vessels of the limbus, aqueous and tears
• Transparency of the cornea is due to its uniform structure,
avascularity and deturgescence

Layers of the Cornea
5 layers
• Epithelium
• Bowman’s layer
• Corneal stroma
• Descemet’s layer
• Endothelium
THE EYEBALL o Single layer of cells

o Regulates fluid exchange between cornea and aqueous
3 Layers
o Maintains dehydration
Outer Layer • Cornea o Damage cause edema
• Sclera
• Limbus
Middle Layer • Iris
(Uvea) • Ciliary body
• Choroid
Inner Layer • Retina

3 Compartments/ Chambers
• Anterior chamber – Posterior chamber – Vitreous cavity
Sclera
• dense fibrous tissue forming the white of the eyes
Anterior • Anterior – cornea • Two openings, the anterior foramen covered by the cornea, and the
chamber • Posterior – iris and lens posterior foramen, the lamina cribrosa, perforated by the optic nerve
• Periphery – anterior chamber angle • Thickest surrounding the optic nerve
Posterior • Anterior – iris • 3 layers
chamber • Posterior – anterior len capsule o Episclera
• Periphery – ciliary body o Sclera propria
Vitreous cavity • Anterior – lens, zonules, ciliary body o Lamina fusca
• Posterior – retina
Uvea
Conjunctiva • Middle vascular coat of the eye
• Thin transparent mucous membrane • 3 parts
• 3 parts o Iris
o Palpebral conjunctiva - covers the posterior surface of the o Choroid
eyelid o Ciliary body
o Bulbar conjunctiva – covers anterior surface of the sclera
o Fornices
• Composed of two to five layers of stratified columnar epithelial cells
• Contains glands which help in ocular lubrication

Glands of the Conjunctiva
• Maintains precorneal tear film
• Goblet cells
o Secretes mucin
o Most numerous in the fornices
• Glands of Wolfring and Manz
o Mucinous secretions
• Krause
o Similar to lacrimal gland





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OPHTHALMOLOGY: Anatomy of the Eye Page 4 of 4
Iris Retina
• Flat ant. extension of the ciliary body • Thin, semitransparent, multilayered sheet of neural tissue
• Central round aperture known as the pupil • Lines the inner aspect of the posterior two thirds of the globe
• Functions • Terminates anteriorly as the ora serrata
o Regulate amount of light entering the eye

o Separates anterior and posterior chamber Blood Supply of the Retina

o Cut off marginal rays of light that interfere with the sharpness • Choriocapillaries (outer third of the retina)
of retinal image • Central Retinal Artery (inner two thirds of the retina)

Muscle of the Iris Layers of the Retina
• Sphincter pupillae muscle (Edinger-Westphal; CN III) 1. Internal limiting membrane
• Dilator pupillae muscle (sympathetic nerves) 2. Nerve fiber layer
3. Ganglion cell layer
Blood Supply 4. Inner plexiform layer
5. Inner nuclear layer
• Major circle of the iris
6. Outer plexiform layer

7. Outer nuclear layer
Choroid
8. External limiting membrane
• Sandwiched between the sclera and the retina
9. Photoreceptor layer (rods and cones)
• 3 layers of blood vessels
10. Retinal pigment epithelium
o Outer layer of Haller – large veins
o Middle layer of Sattler – medium veins 3 nuclear layers • Outer nuclear – rods and cones
o Choriocapillaries • Inner nuclear – bipolar, horizontal, amacrine
• Functions: chiefly as nutrient organ for the retina, vitreous and lens and Mueller cell nucleus
• Ganglion cell layer
Ciliary Body 3 nerve layers • Outer plexiform – synapse between rods and
• Extends from the choroid to the iris cones to bipolar cells
• It is triangular in shape with a narrow base directed forward giving • Inner plexiform – synapse between bipolar
origin to the iris cells to ganglion cells
• Contains the ciliary muscle, which is composed of 3 groups of smooth • Nerve fiber layer – axons of ganglion cells
muscle fibers, the circular, longitudinal and radial fibers that are

responsible for accommodation Macula

• 2 parts: pars plana and pars plicata • Center of the posterior retina
• The pars plicata contains ciliary processes which secretes aqueous • Responsible for fine central vision
• The lens is attached to the ciliary body via the zonules • Seen as area of hyperpigmentation (yellow pigment/ xanthophyll)
• Center of the macula is the fovea, seen as a depression, the thinnest
Blood Supply of the Ciliary Body portion of the retina
• It is avascular and the photoreceptors are all cones
• from the major arterial circle of the iris, formed by the 2 long ciliary

arteries and 7 anterior ciliary arteries
Rods vs. Cones

Nerve Supply of the Ciliary Body

• ciliary nerve, arising from the ciliary ganglion, from the Edinger-
Westphal nucleus of CN III

Vitreous Humor
• Clear, avascular, gelatinous body

• Comprises 2/3 of the volume and weight of the eye
• 99% water; the 1% hyaluronic acid and collagen makes it gel like
• Firmly attached to the pars plana and ora serrata, and the margins
of the optic disc

Optic Nerve
Lens • Consist of about 1.2 million axons from the ganglion cells of the retina
• Biconvex, avascular, colorless and transparent structure • 4 parts of the optic nerve
• Second most powerful refractive tissue, o Intraocular – 1 mm
• Held in place by suspensory ligaments known as zonules o Intraorbital – 25 to 30 mm
• Accommodation o Intracanalicular – 4 to 9 mm
o as the ciliary body contracts, the zonules relax, the lens o Intracranial – 10 mm
increases its anterior-posterior diameter, and refractive power
Reference: PPT by FEU-NRMF Department of Ophthalmology
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