ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY

of the EYE

马 静
郑州大学第一附属医院眼科教研室
The First Affiliated Hospital
of Zhengzhou University
Contents

 The Eye Ball

 The Orbit
 The Ocular Adnexa
 The Visual Pathway
 Blood and Nerve Supply
 一、 the Eye Ball
 The Wall ：
Outer Layer —— cornea & sclera

Middle Layer ——Iris 、 Ciliary body 、 Choroid

Inner Layer —— Retina

 The Contents ：
Aqueous, Lens, Vitreous body
 The Outer Layer of the Eye Ball
Function ： protecting
maintain the shape of the eyeball
 cornea ：
anterior 1/6
transparent
 sclera ：
posterior 5/6
white ， opaque
 limbus
 Cornea
 Insert into the sclera at limbus
 Average 0.52mm thick in the center,
0.65mm at the periphery
 anterior 1/6
 transparent
Five distinct layers ：
Epithelium
Bowman’s layer
Stroma
Descemet’s membrane
endothelium
 Tear membrane
 Cornea
 Physilogical function ：
Refracting media: +43D
Transparent:
Avascularity
Tear membrane: lubrication, keeping wet, protecting, nutrition
The epithelium: regeneration
The endothelium: maintaining the essential deturgescence of the str
oma, susceptible to injury, undergoing loss of cells with age, its repair
is limited to enlargement and sliding of the existing cells
Bowman’s layer: could not regenerate, haze
 Sclera
 The fibrous outer layer, consisting al
most entirely of collagen,
 Dense and white,
 Continuous with the cornea and the
dural sheath of the optic nerve
 Inserted or penetrated by rectus mu
cles, posterior ciliary arteries and ne
rves, vortex veins, anterior ciliary art
eries and veins
 Lamina cribrosa: the posterior scl
eral foramen were acrossed by band
s of collagen and elastic tissue, bet
ween which pass the axon bundles
of the optic nerve
 Sclera
 Three layers ：
episclera: contains blood vessels
Stroma:parallel and interlacing collagen bundles
lamina fusca: brown pigment layer on the inner face
 Physiologic Function
protection
maintaince
nuitrition
limbus
The place that cornea insert into sclera

Anterior chamber a
ngle
 Schwalbe’s line
 Schlemm’s cann
al
 Trabecular mes
hwork
 Scleral spur
 Collect channels
and aqueous vei
ns

C I A
 Middle layer
一、 iris
 Anterior extension of the
ciliary body
 A flat surface with a cent
rally situated round aper
ture---the pupil
 Lies in contiguity with th
e anterior surface of the
lens
 sphincter and dilator mu
scles in the stroma
 Two havily pigmented la
yers on the posterior sur
face:represent anterior e
xtensions of the neurore
tina and RPE
 Iris frontal view

 Iris
 Function:
Controls the amount of light entering th
e eye
Pupillary size is principally determined b
y a balance between constriction due to p
arasympathetic activity transmitted via the
third cranial nerve and diation due to sym
pathetic activity
 Middle layer
二、 Ciliary body
 Roughly triangular in cro
sssection
 Extends forward from th
e anterior end of the cho
riod to the root of the iri
s
 a corrugated anterior zo
ne: pars plicata(2mm)
 A flattened posterior zon
e: pars plana(4mm)
 Two layers of epithelium
:
internal nonpigmented la
yer & external pigmente
d layer
 Ciliary body function
 The ciliary processes and their covering epithelium ar
e responsible for the formation of aqueous
 The ciliary musles: composed of a combination of the
longitudinal, circular and radial fibers; to contract and
relax the zonular fibers, this alters the tension on the
capsule of the lens, --- focus adjustment
 The longitudinal fibers insert into the trabecular mesh
work to influente its pore size --- adjusting the IOP
 nutrition
 Middle layer
三、 choroid

 The posterior segment of

the uveal tract, between
the retina and the sclera
 Composed three layers of
choroidal blood vessels, s
uprachoroidal space, Bruc
h’s membrane
 Function:
make the “dark room”
nourish the retina
adjust the temperature
 Inner layer——Retina

Ten layers ： ILM

neuroretina GC
RPE NF
GCL Müller
IPL Amacrine
Special structure ： Bipolar
INL horizont
macula
optic disc OPL rod
ONL cone
Function ： OLM
receiving light stimuli
forming visual impulse
R&C
RPE RPE
Choroid
Optic disc & Macula
黄斑的分区和组织学
黄斑的分区和组织学
 Intraocular Space and Contents

Intraocular space ：
Anterior chamber
Posterior chamber
Vitreous cavity

Contents ：
Aqueous
Lens
Vitreous body
 Aqueous

Formation ： ciliary processes and their covering epitheliu

m
Function ：
1 maintain the IOP 2 metobolism 3 refrac
tion
Aqueous drainage circle ： ciliary body→posterior cham
ber→pupil→anterior chamber→trabecular meshwork →Schl
emm’canal →collector channels→aqueous veins→episcleral ve
nous system → blood circle
 Lens

 Biconvex, avascular colorless

and almost completely trans
parent
 4mm thick and 9mm in diam
eter
 Suspended behind the iris by
zonule, which connects it wit
h the ciliary body
 Aneterior: posterior:
 lens
Subcapsular epithelium
Lens capsule, cortex, nu
cleus,
The lens gradually beco
mes larger and less elas
tic throughout life
Long concentric lamella
e form suture lines by e
nd-to-end joining their fi
bers:Y-shaped
 Vitreous body
 A clear, avascular, gelationous
body
 Comprises two-thirds of the v
olume and weight of the eye
 Bounded by the lens, retina, a
nd optic disk
 Hyaloid membrane
 The base of the vitreous
 99% of water, gel-likeform
The Anatomy Outside the Eyeball
 Orbit
 Extraocular Musles
 Visual Pathway
 Conjunctiva
 Eyelids
 Lacrimal Aparatus
 Blood and Nerve Supply
 Orbit
 A pyramid shape of four walls
 The optic nerve located at the top
point
 The medial walls of the two side ar
e parallel and are separated by the
nose
 The lateral and the medial walls fo
rma an angle of 45 degrees
 A right angle between the two late
ral walls
 The eyeball occupies 1/5 of the orb
it volume, the other space is tamp
oned by fat and musles
 Orbit

 7 bones ： frontal, sphenoi

d, zygomatic, maxilla, palati
ne, ethimoid, lacrimal
 4 walls ： Roof, Lateral, Flo
or, Medial
 Neighbours:
frontal lobe of brain
frontal, maxillary, ethmoid
and sphenoid sinus
 Fossa of lacrimal sac
 Lacrimal fossa
 Trochlear fovea
Orbital Apex: The entry portal for all nerves and
vessels, and the site of origin of all extraocular muscles

Optic foramen & Optic cannal: o

ptic nerve, oph. artery, sympathic
Superior orbital fissure:Between t
he body and the greater and lesser wi
ngs of the sphenoid bone. Superior op
h.vein, lacrimal,frontal and trochlear n
erves; superior and inferior divisions of
the oculomotor nerve, abducens, naso
ciliary nerve,
inferior orbital fissure:between th
e lateral and floor of the orbit. Maxilla
nerve, inferior orbital vessels, etc.
annulus of Zinn: ring tondon, surr
ounds ON, origin of all extraocular mu
scles except inferior oblique
 Extraocular musle
s

 4 rectus: superior(7.5m
m), lateral(7mm), inferior
(6.75mm), medial(5.5m
m)
 2 oblique: superior, inferi
or
 Functions:
Eye movement: adduct, ab
duct, depress, elevate, tor
sional
synergic and antagonistic
movement
Stereoscopic vision
经

Visual Pathway
Optic nerve:
Consists of about 1X106 axons that arise from the GCs of t
he retina. About 40mm long.
Including 4 courses: intraocular(1mm), orbital (25-30mm)
, intracanalicular (4-9mm) and intracranial (10mm) segment
.
The sheaths of the ON emerges from the posterior surface
of the globe, and ends at the intracranial segment after a sh
ort distance within the cranium. It divides the ON fibers into
bundles. Fulfilling the separation of neural impulsion.
 Visual Pathway

After the photoreceptors (rods and cones) receive th

e light stimulation ， they change the light power into the m
embrane electric potential and form the visual impulses. Th
en the neural impulses are transferred to the bipolar cells,
then ganglion cells. The impulses were send to the later
al geniculate body along the axons of the ganglion cells
which travels by the optic chiasm and the optic tract. At
the lateral geniculate body, a changing of neuron would be
done. Then the new axons reaches the visual center at the
occipital lobe via optic radiation.
Visual pathway & Light reflection
 The Pupil Reflex Pathway

 light reflex
one side photoreceptors---visual pathway---lateral geniculate
body---arm of superior colliculus---pretectal nuclei(change n
eurons)---both sides E-W nuclei---oculomotor nerve---ciliary
ganglion(change neurons)---short ciliary nerve---sphincter
 Near Reflex
one side photoreceptors---visual pathway---visual center--- b
oth sides E-W nuclei and medial rectus muscle nuclei---oculo
motor nerve---sphincter, ciliary muscle and medial rectus mu
scle
 Eyelid (Palpebra
e)
 The palpebrae are m
odified folds of skin t
hat can close to prote
ct the anterior eyebal
l
 Blinking helps spread
the tear film, protect
the cornea and conju
nctiva from dehydrati
on
 The posterior lid mar
gin is in close contact
with the globe, with s
mall orifices of meibo
mian glands supplyin
g lid for the tear me
mbrane ：
 Eyelid

 Structures of eyelids
Skin layer: thin, loose, ealstic
Orbicularis Oculi Muscle: For th
e close of lids, supplied by facial n
erve
Areolar Tissue:
Tarsal Plates:main supporting s
tructure, dense fibrous tissue, at
tached to orbital margin by palpe
bral ligaments, contains meibomi
an gland
Palpebral Conjunctiva: mucous
membrane, adheres firmly to th t
arsal plates
 Movement of the Eyelid

 Opened by Lid Retractors:

Formed by a musculofascial complex, with both striated and
smooth muscle components
Levator palpebrae superioris and Müller’s musle in upper lid
Inferior rectus muscle in lower lid
 Closed by Orbicularis Oculi Muscle:
the portion over the orbital septum id eht preseptal portion,
the segment outside the lid is called the orbital portion
 Eyelid

眼轮匝肌正面观 睑板腺正面观
 Conjunctiva
 Thin transparent mucous membrane that covers the postrior surf
ace of the lids (the palpebral conjunctiva)and the anterior surfac
e of the sclera(the bulbar conjunctiva)
 Palpebral conjunctiva:firmly adherent to the tarsus
 Bulbar conjunctiva: loosely attached to the orbital septum in t
he fornices and is folded many times, this allow the eye to move
.
 Superior and inferior fornics:
 Semilunar Fold(located at the inner canthus) and caruncle:
 Accessory lacrimal glands(Krause, Wolfring) resemble the lacrim
al gland in structure
 Goblet cells in the conjunctival epithelium secret mucus, which is
necessary for proper dispersion of the prexorneal tear film
 Conjunctiva

 7 骨：额、蝶、筛、腭、
泪、上颌
、颧
 4 壁：上、下、内、外
 主要结构：
视神经孔和视神经管
眶上裂
眶下裂
眶上切迹
泪腺窝
滑车窝
泪囊窝
 Lacrimal Apparatus

 Lacrimal Gland ：
Orbital portion: in the lacrimal f
ossa in the anterior upper tempo
ral sgement of the orbit
Palpebral portion located above
the temporal segment fo the sup
erior conjnctival fornix
Lacrimal secretory ducts open to
the superior conjunctival fornix
 Accessory lacrimal glands
 Lacrimal Passage: upper and l
ower puncta, canaliculi, lacrimal
sac, nasolacrimal duct
 Lacrimal punctum: at the medial end of
the posterior margin of the lid, a small e
levationwith a central small opening , se
rve to carry the tears down through the
cannaliculue to the lacrimal sac
 Artery supply of the eye
Central Retinal A.
Lacrimal A.
Long posterior ciliary A.
Internal carotid A.---Ophthalmic A.--- Short posterior ciliary A.
Muscle branchs
Supraorbital A.
Dorsal nasal A.
Angular A.
External carotid A. ---Facial A.--- Superficial temporal A.
Infraorbital A.
血
液
供
应
 Nerve Supply of the Eye
 Motor N. ： III 、 IV 、 VI 、 VII cranial nerve
(oculomotor, trochlear, abducent and facial nerve)
 Sensory N.:
1. Optic N. Long C. N.
Nasociliary N. Long root of C.G.
2. Ophthalmologic N. Lacrimal N.
C.G. Short C. N.
Frontal N.
 Parasympathetic N.: E.W.nuclei oculomotor short root of C.G.
Sympathetic N.: Cervical sympathetic plexus
Thank you ！