BASIC ANATOMY &

PHYSIOLOGY OF THE
EYE
ADIO OLUWATUNMAYOWA , M.D
INTRODUCTION
The eye is the specialized sense organ capable of receiving visual
images, which are then carried to the brain.

Functions similarly to a camera

THE BONY ORBIT
The bony orbits (or eye sockets) are bilateral and symmetrical cavities
in the head. They enclose the eyeball and its associated structures.
The orbit can be thought of as a pyramidal structure, with the apex
pointing posteriorly and the base situated anteriorly. The boundaries of
the orbit are formed by seven bones
Surrounded by paranasal sinuses
Important openings are:
Optic foramen, Superior orbital fissure, Inferior orbital fissure
BONY ORBIT
The borders and anatomical relations of the bony orbit are as follows:
Roof (superior wall) – Formed by the frontal bone and the lesser wing of the
sphenoid. The frontal bone separates the orbit from the anterior cranial
fossa.
Floor (inferior wall) – Formed by the maxilla, palatine and zygomatic bones.
The maxilla separates the orbit from the underlying maxillary sinus.
Medial wall – Formed by the ethmoid, maxilla, lacrimal and sphenoid
bones. The ethmoid bone separates the orbit from the ethmoid sinus.
Lateral wall – Formed by the zygomatic bone and greater wing of the
sphenoid.
Apex – Located at the opening to the optic canal, the optic foramen.
Base – Opens out into the face, and is bounded by the eyelids. It is also
known as the orbital rim.
PARANASAL SINUSES
EXTRAOCULAR
MUSCLES
The extraocular muscles are located within the orbit, but are extrinsic
and separate from the eyeball itself. They act to control the movements
of the eyeball and the superior eyelid.
Four recti , two oblique muscles , levator palpebrae superioris
All are supplied by Oculomotor n. except superior oblique (Trochlear n.)
& lateral rectus (Abducent n.).
THE EXTRAOCULAR MUSCLES
Hence for clinical test:

(Field of Action)
Direction to look
• SO Down and in
• IO Up and in
• SR Up +/- out
• IR Down +/- out
EYELIDS
The eyelids are thin, mobile folds that cover the eyeball anteriorly. They
offer protection from excessive light or injury, and maintain lubrication by
distributing tears over the surface of the eyeball.
The eyelids are split into upper and lower portions, which meet at the
medial and lateral canthi of the eye. The opening between the two eyelids
is called the palpebral aperture or opening.
The eyelid consists of five main layers (superficial to deep):
Skin and subcutaneous tissue
Orbicularis oculi
Tarsal plates
Levator apparatus
Conjunctiva
THE EYEBALL
The eyeball is a bilateral and “spherical” organ, which houses the
structures responsible for vision
The eyeball is not a simple sphere but can be viewed as the result of
fusing a small portion of a small, strongly curved sphere with a large
portion of a large, not so strongly curved sphere. The small piece,
occupying about one-sixth of the whole, has a radius of 8 mm ; it is
transparent and is called the cornea; the remainder, the scleral
segment, is opaque and has a radius of 12 mm .
Their juncture is the limbus
LAYERS OF THE EYE
The eyeball is formed by three layers/coats :
The outer coat: transparent cornea and opaque sclera.
The middle vascular coat: The Uvea-choroid, ciliary body and iris.
The inner: The Retina made of neurosensory retina and retinal pigment
epithelium
The eye measures approximately 21-24 mm in all its main diameters.
SEGMENTS AND
CHAMBERS OF THE EYE
The interior of the eye is divided into the anterior and posterior
segments
The anterior segment includes the cornea, iris, ciliary body and lens as
well as the spaces of the anterior and posterior chambers filled with
aqueous humor. The posterior segment includes the retina, choroid and
optic nerve head as well as the vitreous body.
The anterior chamber (AC) is the aqueous humor-filled space inside the
eye between the iris and the cornea's innermost surface, the
endothelium
The posterior chamber is a narrow space in the eye that is behind the
peripheral part of the iris and in front of the suspensory ligament of the
lens and the ciliary processes and is filled with aqueous humor
TEAR FILM
The tear film serves to provide ocular surface comfort, mechanical,
environmental, and immune protection, maintain epithelial cellular
health, and provide a smooth and very powerful refracting surface for
clear vision.
The ocular surface is the most environmentally exposed mucosal
surface, and the tear film serves to protect against irritants, allergens,
environmental extremes of dryness and temperature, potential
pathogens and pollutants.
The tear film is made up of three layers: the oily layer on the outside,
the watery layer in the middle, and the inner, mucus layer
THE CORNEA
The cornea is the transparent window of the eye.
It provides a physical barrier against trauma/ microorganisms , allows
refraction and is a clear surface for passage of light
No blood supply
It contains five layers;
The epithelium, or outer covering
Bowman’s membrane
The stroma, or supporting structure : Up to 90 percent of the thickness of
the cornea is made up of the stroma. Has lamellae which are well arranged
to ensure transperancy.
Descemet’s membrane
The endothelium, or inner lining.
THE SCLERA
The sclera is the white outer coating of the eye. It is tough, fibrous tissue
that extends from the cornea (the clear front section of the eye) to the
optic nerve at the back of the eye. The sclera gives the eyeball its white
color
It functions as the supporting wall of the eyeball. It helps maintain the
eyeball's shape, and protects it from injury. The sclera is covered by
conjunctiva
It is made up of collagen fibers arranged in a crisscross patern.
It has five layers :
Episclera.
Stroma
Lamina fusca
Endothelium,
CONJUNCTIVA
The conjunctiva is a thin, transparent, vascularized mucous membrane
that covers the posterior surface of the eyelids, reflects forwards on the
eye at the fornix, to cover the anterior sclera. Anatomically, the
conjunctiva is composed of a bulbar and a palpebral component.
The conjunctiva functions in maintaining the normal homeostasis and
integrity of the eye. The conjunctiva contains accessory lacrimal glands,
lymphoid tissue, mast cells, and goblet cells that aid in producing the
aqueous and lipid constituents of the tear film.
BULBAR CONJUCTIVA
Palpebral conjunctiva
UVEA
It is vascular layer of the eye and it lies underneath the fibrous layer. It
consists of the choroid, ciliary body and iris:
Choroid – layer of connective tissue and blood vessels. It provides
nourishment to the outer layers of the retina.
Ciliary body – comprised of two parts – the ciliary muscle and ciliary
processes. The ciliary muscle consists of a collection of smooth musles.
These are attached to the lens of the eye by the ciliary processes/zonules.
The ciliary body controls the shape of the lens, and it contributes to the
formation of aqueous humor
Iris – circular structure, with an aperture in the centre (the pupil). The
diameter of the pupil is altered by smooth muscle fibres within the iris,
which are innervated by the autonomic nervous system( sympathetic for
dilation , parasympathetic for constriction). It is situated between the lens
and the cornea.
Iris & Pupil
 ANTERIOR CHAMBER
ANGLE
Also called the iridocorneal angle , the anterior chamber angle is a part
of the eye located between the cornea and iris which contains the
trabecular meshwork through which aqueous humour flows out of the
eye, the size of this angle determines the rate of flow of aqueous
humor and thus the intraocular pressure.
 The Lens
The crystalline lens is the only structure continuously growing throughout the
life.
Changeable refractive media.
Capsule, epithelium and lens fibers.
Congenital anomalies and effect of systemic diseases.
Cataract.
THE LENS
The lens, or crystalline lens is a transparent biconvex structure in the
eye that, along with the cornea, helps to refract light to be focused on
the retina
The lens is made up of unusual elongated cells that have no blood
supply but obtain nutrients from the surrounding fluids, mainly the
aqueous humour that bathes the front of the lens. Waste products are
removed through these fluids as well. The shape of the lens can be
altered by the relaxation and contraction of the ciliary muscles
surrounding it, thus enabling the eye to focus clearly on objects at
widely varying distances. The ability of the lens to adjust from a distant
to a near focus, called accommodation.
THE VITREOUS BODY
The vitreous body is a transparent gel which fills the posterior segment
of the eyeball (the area posterior to the lens).
The vitreous body has three main functions:
1.Contributes to the magnifying power of the eye
2.Supports the lens
3.Holds the layers of the retina in place
Volume of vitreous humor is approximately 4ml
 Vitreous

Vitreous attachment is at Optic nerve head, macula,

fovea, retinal background, Ora serrata, and retinal
vasculature.
THE RETINA
The inner layer of the eye is formed by the retina; its light detecting
component. The retina is composed of two layers:
Retinal Pigmented epithelium(outer) layer – formed by a single layer of
cells. It is attached to the choroid and supports the choroid in absorbing
light (preventing scattering of light within the eyeball). It continues
around the whole inner surface of the eye.
Neurosensory (inner) layer – consists of photoreceptors(ods and
cones), the light detecting cells of the retina.
The retina is the part of the eye that receives the light and converts it
into chemical energy. The chemical energy activates nerves that
conduct the messages out of the eye into the higher regions of the
brain.
RETINA
The centre of the retina is marked by an area known as the macula. It is
yellowish in colour, and highly pigmented. The macula contains a
depression called the fovea centralis, which has a high concentration of
light detecting cells(cones). It is the area responsible for high acuity
vision. The area that the optic nerve enters the retina is known as the
optic disc – it contains no light detecting cells.
A circular field of approximately 6 mm around the fovea is considered
the central retina while beyond this is peripheral retina( contains rods)
stretching to the ora serrata, 21 mm from the center of the retina
(fovea)
Ten layers of cells in the retina can be seen microscopically
THE LACRIMAL GLAND
The lacrimal glands are serous type exocrine glands that secrete lacrimal
fluid onto the surfaces of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eye.
Lacrimal fluid acts to the clean, nourish and lubricate the eyes. It forms
tears when produced in excess.
Lacrimal gland secrets tears into the upper fornix of the conjunctival sac
which are spread over the surface of the cornea as a tear film by blinking of
the lids.
The lacrimal gland is approximately 2cm long. It can be divided into two
main parts:
Orbital – larger and sits on the lateral margin of the levator palpabrae
superioris muscle.
Palprebral – smaller and is located along the inner surface of the eyelid.
THE LACRIMAL APPARATUS
THE LACRIMAL
DRAINAGE SYSTEM
The lacrimal apparatus is the system responsible for the drainage of
lacrimal fluid from the orbit.

After secretion, lacrimal fluid circulates across the eye, and accumulates
in the lacrimal lake – located in the medial canthus of the eye. From
here, it drains into the lacrimal sac via a series of canals.

The lacrimal sac is the dilated end of the nasolacrimal duct, and is
located in a groove formed by the lacrimal bone and frontal process of
the maxilla. Lacrimal fluid drains down the nasolacrimal duct and
empties into the inferior meatus of the nasal cavity
 Lacrimal Apparatus

 Tear secretion.

 Layers of precorneal tear film.

 Drainage of tears
 The Intraocular
Pressure
The pressure within the eye is maintained at a steady level by continuous
formation & drainage of aqueous.
Aqueous is secreted by the non pigmented ciliary epithelium → posterior
chamber → anterior chamber (through the pupil ) → drained through the
anterior chamber angle(trabecular meshwork , schlemm’s canal , episcleral
veins)
The intraocular pressure, (IOP), is normally 10 – 21 mmHg; increased IOP
ocular hypertension .
High IOP almost always due to an obstruction of aqueous outflow.
PUPILLARY PATHWAY
VISUAL PATHWAY
BLOODY SUPPLY OF
THE EYE
The eyeball receives arterial blood primarily via the ophthalmic artery.
This is a branch of the internal carotid artery.
Venous drainage of the eyeball is carried out by the superior, inferior
ophthalmic veins and vortex veins. These drain into the cavernous
sinus, a dural venous sinus in close proximity to the eye.
THANK
YOU