Structure of the Eye

• The eyeball is embedded in orbital fat but is

separated from it by the fascial sheath of the
eyeball. The eyeball consists of three coats, which,
from outer to inward are the fibrous coat, the
vascular pigmented coat, and the nervous coat.
Coats of the Eyeball
1. Fibrous Coat
• The fibrous coat is made up of a posterior opaque part(due to random
collagen arrangement) the sclera 5/6, and an anterior transparent
part, the cornea 1/6 .
2. Vascular pigmented coat (UVEAL tract)
• It consists of (from behind forward) the choroid, ciliary body and the
iris.
3. Nervous coat
• It includes the retina.
The Cornea
• The transparent cornea is largely responsible for the refraction of the
light entering the eye. It is in contact posteriorly with the aqueous
humor.
• Blood Supply The cornea is avascular and devoid of lymphatic
drainage. It is nourished by diffusion from the aqueous humor and
from the capillaries at its edge.
• Nerve Supply Long ciliary nerves from the ophthalmic division of the
trigeminal nerve.
The Sclera (fibrous coat)
• The opaque sclera is composed of dense fibrous tissue and is white.
Posteriorly, it is pierced by the optic nerve and is fused with the dural
sheath of that nerve .
• The lamina cribrosa (mesh like) is the area of the sclera that is
pierced by the nerve fibers of the optic nerve.
• The sclera is also pierced by the ciliary arteries and nerves and their
associated veins, the venae vorticosae (vortex veins_ drains ocular
choroid).
• The sclera is directly continuous in front with the cornea at the
corneoscleral junction, or limbus.
Vascular Pigmented Coat
(UVEA)
• The vascular pigmented coat consists(from behind to forward) of the
choroid, the ciliary body, and the iris.
The Choroid
• layer of connective tissue and blood vessels, also contains
melanocytes.
• It provides nourishment to the outer layers of the retina.
• Changes in the blood flow in the choroidal blood vessels may serve to
produce heat exchange from the retina.
• The large number of pigment cells in choroid absorb extra light that
penetrates the retina, thus preventing reflection.
The Ciliary Body
• The ciliary body is a circular structure that is an extension of the iris.
It produces a fluid in the eye called aqueous humor. Its continuous
posteriorly with the choroid, and anteriorly it lies behind the
peripheral margin of the iris . It is composed of the ciliary ring, the
ciliary processes, and the ciliary muscle.
THE CILIARY BODY
Ciliary ring:
Posterior part of the body and has shallow grooves, the ciliary striae.
Ciliary process:
Radially arranges folds to its posterior surface the suspensory ligaments of
the lens are connected.
Ciliary muscles:
Composed of meridional, radial and circular fibers of smooth muscles. The
MD runs backward from corneoscleral junction to the ciliary process. The
circular fibers are fewer and lies internal to meridional fibers. It changes
shape of the lens when your eyes focus on near objects.
Suspensory Ligaments: Zonular ligaments for the attachment of Lens with
ciliary body.
• ■ Nerve supply: The ciliary muscle is supplied by the
parasympathetic fibers from the oculomotor nerve.
• ■ Action: Contraction of the ciliary muscle especially the meridional
fibers, pulls the ciliary body forward. This relieves tension in the
suspensory ligament and the elastic lens become more convex. Thus
increasing the refractive power of the lens.
• Accommodation of lens function
The Iris and Pupil
• The iris is a thin, contractile, pigmented diaphragm with a central
aperture, the pupil .
• It is suspended in the aqueous humor between the cornea and the
lens.
• The periphery of the iris is attached to the anterior surface of the
ciliary body.
• It divides the space between the lens and the cornea into an anterior
and a posterior chamber.
• The muscle fibers of the iris are involuntary and consist of circular and
radiating fibers.
• The circular fibers form the sphincter pupillae and are arranged
around the margin of the pupil.
• The radial fibers form the dilator pupillae and consist of a thin sheet
of radial fibers that lie close to the posterior surface.
• ■ Nerve supply: The sphincter pupillae is supplied by
parasympathetic fibers from the oculomotor nerve.,
• The dilator pupillae is supplied by sympathetic fibers, which pass
forward to the eyeball in the long ciliary nerves.
• ■ Action: The sphincter pupillae constricts the pupil in the presence
of bright light and during accommodation.
• The dilator pupillae dilates the pupil in the presence of light of low
intensity or in the presence of excessive sympathetic activity such as
occurs in fright.
Nervous Coat: The Retina
• The retina consists of an outer pigmented layer and an inner nervous
layer.
• It converts light that enters the eye into electrical signals thru optic
nerve to the brain which creates the images you see.
• Its outer surface is in contact with the choroid, and its inner surface is
in contact with the vitreous body .
• The posterior three quarters of the retina is the receptor organ.
• Its anterior edge forms a wavy ring, the ora serrata, where the nervous
tissues end.(a junction that transitions from the non photosensitive
area of the retina to the complex, multi layered photosensitive region)
• The anterior part of the retina is nonreceptive , pigmented,and covers
the ciliary processes and the back of the iris.
• At the center of the posterior part of the retina is an oval, yellowish
area, the macula lutea, which is the area of the retina for the most
distinct vision. It has a central depression, the fovea centralis.
• The optic nerve leaves the retina about 3 mm to the medial side of
the macula lutea by the optic disc.
• The optic disc is slightly depressed at its center, where it is pierced by
the central artery of the retina.
• At the optic disc is a complete absence of rods and cones, so that it is
insensitive to light and is referred to as the “blind spot.”
• On ophthalmoscopic examination, the optic disc is seen to be pale
pink in color, much paler than the surrounding retina.
Contents of the Eyeball
• The contents of the eyeball consist of the refractive media, the
aqueous humor, the vitreous body, and the lens.
Aqueous Humor
• The aqueous humor is a clear fluid that fills the anterior and posterior
chambers of the eyeball .
• It is believed to be a secretion from the ciliary processes, from which
it enters the posterior chamber.
• It then flows into the anterior chamber through the pupil and is
drained away through the spaces at the iridocorneal angle into the
canal of Schlemm.
• Obstruction to the draining of the aqueous humor results in a rise in
intraocular pressure called glaucoma. This can produce degenerative
changes in the retina, with consequent blindness.
• The function of the aqueous humor is to support the wall of the
eyeball by exerting internal pressure and thus maintaining its optical
shape.
• It also nourishes the cornea and the lens and removes the products
of metabolism; these functions are important because the cornea
and the lens do not possess a blood supply.
Vitreous Body
• The vitreous body fills the eyeball behind the lens and is a transparent
gel.
• The function of the vitreous body is to contribute slightly to the
magnifying power of the eye.
• It supports the posterior surface of the lens and assists in holding the
neural part of the retina against the pigmented part of the retina.
• The Hyaloid canal is a narrow channel that runs through the vitreous
body from optic disk to posterior of the lens.
• In fetus it is filed with hyaloid artery which disappears before birth.
(retinal vasculature takes over)
The Lens
• The lens is a transparent, biconvex structure enclosed in a
transparent capsule.
• It is situated behind the iris and in front of the vitreous body and is
encircled by the ciliary processes.
• The lens consists of an elastic capsule, which envelops the structure;
a cuboidal epithelium
• . The lens fibers make up the bulk of the lens.
• The elastic lens capsule is under tension, causing the lens constantly
to endeavor to assume a globular rather than a disc shape. The
equatorial region, or circumference, of the lens is attached to the
ciliary processes of the ciliary body by the suspensory ligament. The
pull of the radiating fibers of the suspensory ligament tends to keep
the elastic lens flattened so that the eye can be focused on distant
objects.
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Lacrimal Apparatus
Lacrimal gland
• Consists of a large orbital part and a small palpebral part, continuous with each
other around the lateral edge of the aponeurosis of the levator palpebrae
superioris.
• Situated above the eyeball in the anterior and upper part of the orbit posterior to
the orbital septum.
• The gland opens into the lateral part of the superior fornix of the conjunctiva by
12 ducts.
• The blood supply of the gland is from the lacrimal artery (a branch of the
ophthalmic artery), with the venous drainage through the superior ophthalmic
vein. The gland is innervated by the parasympathetic lacrimatory nucleus of the
facial nerve (which originates in the pons).
Lacrimal Apparatus
Lacrimal Ducts
• The tears circulate across the cornea and accumulate in the lacus lacrimalis.
• From here, the tears enter the canaliculi lacrimales through the puncta lacrimalis.
• The canaliculi lacrimales pass medially and open into the lacrimal sac which lies in
the lacrimal groove.
• The nasolacrimal duct is about 0.5 in. (1.3 cm) long and emerges from the lower
end of the lacrimal sac.
• The duct descends downward, backward, and laterally in a bony canal and opens
into the inferior meatus of the nose.
• The opening is guarded by a fold of mucous membrane known as the lacrimal
fold. This prevents air from being forced up the duct into the lacrimal sac on
blowing the nose.