DEVELOPMENT OF

EARS AND EYES

Dr. Aveen A. Ali
Learning objectives
◦Studying the embryological development of the
special organs of sense ( Ear & Eye).

◦Identifying the embryological origin of the Ear & Eye

defects.
Ear Development
◦In the adult, the ear forms one anatomical unit serving both
hearing and equilibrium, in the embryo it develops from three
distinctly different parts;
External ear: (collection of sound waves), consisting of the
auricle, external acoustic meatus, and external layer of the
tympanic membrane (eardrum).
Middle ear: (conduction of sound waves), consisting of 3
small auditory ossicles, internal layer of tympanic
membrane, tympanic cavity and auditory tube.
Internal ear (hearing and balance), consisting of
vestibulocochlear organ which converts waves into nerve
impulses and register changes in equilibrium.
 Internal Ear
◦ The internal ears are the first of the three parts of ears to develop, and the first
indication of the developing ear can be found in embryos of approximately 22
days as a thickening of the surface ectoderm on each side of the
rhombencephalon
Invaginating neural tube

Otic
Optic placode

Otic vesicle
vesicle
These thickenings, the otic placodes , invaginate rapidly and form the
otic vesicles, during further development, each vesicle divides into
a) a ventral component that gives rise to the saccule and
cochlear duct
b) a dorsal component that forms the utricle, semicircular
canals,and the endolymphatic duct.
 Saccule, Cochlea, and organ of
Corti
◦In 6th week of development, the saccule forms a tubular outpocketing at
its lower pole, cochlear duct, which penetrates the surrounding
mesenchyme in a spiral fashion and completes 2.5 turns at the end of
8th week.
◦Its connection with the remaining portion of the saccule confined to a
narrow pathway the ductus reuniens.
◦ The surrounding mesenchyme of the cochlear duct soon differentiates into cartilage.
◦ In the 10th week, this cartilage undergoes vacuolization, and 2 spaces, the scala
vestibuli, and scala tympani are formed.
◦ The cochlear duct is separated from the scala v. by the vestibular membrane, and from
the scala t. by basilar membrane.
◦ The lateral wall of the duct remains attached to the surrounding cartilage by the spiral
ligament, and its median angle is connected to the modiolus, the future axis of the
bony cochlea.
◦ With further development, the epithelial cells of the cochlear duct form 2 ridges;
◦ Inner ridge……. The future spiral limbus
◦ Outer ridge……..1 row of inner and 3-4 rows of outer hair cells. They are covered by
the tectorial membrane.
◦ The sensory cells and this membrane together constitute the organ of Corti,
impulses received by this organ are transmitted to the spiral ganglion and then the
nervous sys. by the auditory fibers of cranial nerve VIII.
 Utricle and Semicircular canals
◦ During the 6th week of development, SCC appear as flattened outpocketings of the
utricular part of the otic vesicle.
◦ Central portions of the walls of these outpocketings appose each other and disappear,
giving rise to 3 SCC.
◦One end of each canal dilates to form crus ampullare, while the crus non
ampullare, does not widen. Since 2 of the latter type fuse, so only 5 crura
enter the utricle.
◦Cells in the ampulla form a crest, the crista ampullaris, containing sensory
cells for maintanence of equilibrium.
◦Similar sensory areas, the maculae acusticae, develop in the utricle and
saccule.
◦Impulses generated in sensory cells of the cristae and maculae as a result
of a change in position of the body are carried to the brain by vestibular
fibers of cranial nerve VIII.
◦During formation of the otic vesicle, a small group of cells breaks away
from its wall and forms the statoacoustic ganglion.
◦Other cells of this ganglion are derived from the neural crest cells.
◦The ganglion subsequently splits into cochlear and vestibular portions,
which supply sensory cells of the organ of Corti and those of saccule,
utricle, and SCC,respectively.
 Middle Ear
◦ Tympanic Cavity and Auditory Tube;
◦ The tympanic cavity, which originates in the endoderm, is derived from the 1 st
pharyngeal pouch. This pouch expands in a lateral direction and comes in contact
with the floor of the 1st pharyngeal cleft, the future external auditory meatus.
◦ The distal part of the pouch widens primitive tympanic cavity.
◦ The proximal part remains narrow auditory tube.
Ossicles;
The malleus and incus are derived from cartilage of the 1st pharyngeal arch, and
the stapes is derived from that of the 2nd arch, they remain embedded in mesenchyme
until the 8th month when the surrounding tissue dissolves.
◦The endodermal epithelial lining of tympamic cavity then extends along
the walls of the newly developing space.
◦When the ossicles are entirely free of surrounding mesenchyme, the
endodermal epithelium connects them in a mesentry-like fashion to the
wall of the cavity.
◦Tympanic cavity expands dorsally by vacuolization of surrounding tissue
to form the tympanic antrum.
◦Since, the malleus is derived from the 1st pharyngeal arch, its muscle, the
tensor tympani, is innervated by mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve.
While the stapedius muscle which is attached to the stapes, is innervated
by the facial nerve, the nerve to the 2nd pharyngeal arch.
 External Ear
◦ External auditory meatus;
◦ It develops from the 1st pharyngeal cleft.
◦ At the beginning of the 3rd month, epithelial cells at the bottom of the meatus
proliferate, forming a solid epithelial plate, the meatal plug.
◦ in the 7th month, this plug dissolves to form internal part of external auditory meatus.
◦ Occasionally, the plug persists until birth, resulting in congenital deafness.

Eardrum or tympanic cavity; is the 1st pharyngeal membrane between cleft and the
pouch.

Auricle; develops from 6 mesenchymal proliferations in 1st and 2nd ph.arches

surrounding the 1st ph.cleft .
These swellings auricular hillocks, 3 on each side of the external meatus, later
they fuse to form the definitive auricle.
◦ As the fusion of these hillocks is complicated, developmental abnormalities of the
auricle are common.
◦ Initially, the external ears are in the lower neck region, but with the development of the
mandible, they ascend to the side of the head at the level of the eyes.
◦ Lobule is the last part to develop.
 Clinical correlates
◦ Congenital deafness , may be caused by:
• Abnormal development of the membranous and bony labyrinth
• Malformations of the auditory ossicles and eardrum
• Most forms are caused by genetic factors
• Environmental factors like infections (Rubella virus affecting the embryo in the 7 th or 8th week
may cause severe damage to the organ of Corti).
• It has also been suggested that poliomyelitis, diabetes, hypothyroidism and toxoplasmosis can
cause congenital deafness.

External ear defect, are common; they include minor and severe abnormalities, they are often
associated with other malformations. Thus they serve as clues to examine infants carefully for
other abnormalities.
 Eye Development
◦Eyes are derived from four sources:
1. Neuroectoderm of the forebrain
Retina, posterior layers of Iris, Optic nerve.
2. Surface ectoderm of head
Lens and Corneal epithelium
3. Mesoderm between above layers
Fibrous and vascular coats
4. Neural crest cells
Choroid, Sclera and Corneal epithelium.
 Optic primordia
◦The developing eye appears in the 22 days embryo as a pair of shallow
grooves on the sides of the forebrain.
 Development of Optic cup and
Lens vesicle
◦ With closure of the neural tube, these grooves form outpocketing of the forebrain, optic
vesicles.
◦ These V. come in contact with the surface ectoderm and induce changes in it that
necessary for lens formation, shortly thereafter, the optic V. begins to invaginate and
forms the double-walled optic cup.
◦The inner and outer layers of this cup are initially separated by a lumen,
intra retinal space, but soon it disappears and the 2 layers fuse.
◦Invagination is also involves a part of the inferior surface that forms the
choroid fissure, to allow hyaloid artery reaching the inner chamber of the
eye.
◦During the 7th week, the lips of this fissure fuse and the mouth of the
optic cup becomes a round opening, the future pupil.
◦During these events, cells of the surface ectoderm,
initially in contact with the optic V. begin to
elongate and form the lens placode.
Then, this placode invaginates
and develops into the lens vesicle.
 RETINA , IRIS AND CILIARY
BODY
◦RETINA; it develops from the optic cup ( outer & inner layer)
◦ Outer layer, characterized by small pigment granule and known as pigmented
layer of the retina.
◦ Inner(neural) layer, divided into the posterior 4/5th and anterior 1/5th;
◦ The posterior 4/5th (pars optica retinae), contains cells bordering the intra retinal
space and differentiate into light-receptive elements, rods and cones. Adjacent to
this layer, is the mantle layer, which gives rise to neurons and supporting cells
including outer nuclear, inner nuclear and ganglion cell layer.
◦On the surface is a fibrous layer that contains axons of nerve cells of
the deeper layer. Nerve fibers in this zone converge toward the optic
stalk, which develops into the optic nerve.
◦Light impulses pass through most layers of the retina before they
reach the rods and cones.
◦ The anterior 1/5th of the inner layer (pars ceca retinae), remains as a one thick cell
layer, this also divides into the pars iridica retinae, which forms the inner layer of the
iris, and the pars ciliaris retinae, which participate in the formation of the ciliary
body.

Iris; in the adult, the iris is formed by:

1. pigment containing external layer,
2. unpigmented internal layer of the optic cup,
3. layer of richly vascularized connective tissue that contains pupillary muscle .
Ciliary body; is the part of anterior 1/5th of inner layer, the medial surface projects
toward lens forming folds, the ciliary processes.
◦ The pars ciliaris retinae, is easily recognized by its marked folding and externally covered
by a layer of mesenchyme that forms the ciliary muscle and on the inside it is connected to
the lens by a network of elastic fibers, the suspensory ligament. Contraction of the ciliary
muscle changes tension in the ligament and controls curvature of the lens.

◦ The region between the optic cup and the overlying surface
epithelium is filled with loose mesenchyme. The sphincter and
dilator papillae muscles form in this tissue, these muscles
develop from the underlying ectoderm of the optic cup.
 LENS,,CHOROID,,SCLERA& CORNEA
◦LENS ;Shortly after formation of the lens vesicle, cells of the posterior wall begin to
elongate anteriorly and form long fibers that gradually fill the lumen of the vesicle. By
the end of the 7th week, these primary fibers reach the anterior wall of the vesicle,
growth of the lens is not finished, since new secondary lens fibers are continuously
added to the central core.
◦ Under the inductive influence of retinal pigment epithelium, the mesenchyme
surrounding the optic cup differentiates into an inner vascular pigmented layer, the
choroid& outer fibrous layer, the sclera.
◦Cornea; is formed by
1. An epithelial layer from the surface ectoderm.
2. Stroma from the mesenchyme of anterior aspect of the eye, and its continuous with
the sclera.
3. An epithelial layer which borders the anterior chamber.
 VITREOUS BODY
◦ Its formed within the cavity of optic cup; mesenchyme not only surrounds the eye
primordium from the outside but also invades inside of the optic cup by way of the
choroid fissure. Here it forms the hyaloid vessels, which during intrauterine life supply
the lens and form the vascular layer of the inner surface of the retina.
◦ In addition it forms a delicate network of fibers between the lens and retina. The
interstitial spaces of this network later fill with a transparent gelatinous substance,
forming the vitreous body.
◦ The hyaloid vessels in this region are
obliterated and disappear during fetal
life, leaving behind the hyaloid canal.
 Optic Nerve
◦ The optic cup is connected to the brain by the optic stalk, which has a groove, the
choroid fissure, on its ventral surface. In this groove are the hyaloid vessels.
◦ The nerve fibers of the retina returning to the brain lie among cells of the inner wall of
the stalk.
◦ During the 7th week, the choroid
fissure closes and a narrow tunnel
forms inside the optic stalk.
As a result of the continuously
increasing number of nerve fibers,
the inner wall of the stalk fuse. Cells
of the inner layer provide a network
of neuroglia that support the optic nerve fibers. The optic stalk is thus transformed into
the optic nerve, its center contains a portion of hyaloid artery, later called the central
artery of the retina.
 Clinical correlates
◦Coloboma:
This occur if the choroid fissure fails to close. Normally this fissure closes during the 7 th
week of development when it does not, a cleft persists. Although such a cleft is usually in
the iris only-coloboma iridis, it may extend into the ciliary body, retina, choroid, and the
optic nerve.
Coloboma is a common eye abnormality frequently associated with other eye defect.
◦Congenital cataracts:
The lens become opaque during intrauterine life, this anomaly is usually genetically
determined, many children of mothers who have had German measles(rubella)
between the 4th &7th weeks of pregnancy have cataracts.
If the mother is infected after the 7th week of pregnancy, the lens escapes damage, but
the child may be deaf as a result of abnormalities of the cochlea.

◦Cyclopia ( single eye)and synophthalmia( fusion of the eye):

Comprise a spectrum of defects in which the eyes are partially or completely fused due
to a loss of midline tissue that may occur during days 19 to 21 of gestation or later stages
when facial development is initiated.
This loss results in underdevelopment of the forebrain and frontonasal prominence, these
defects are associated with cranial defects, such as holoprosencephaly in which the
cerebral hemispheres are partially or completely merged into a single vesicle.
Microphthalmia Anophthalmia