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Ophthalmic Anatomy

It is important to understand the anatomy of the eye prior to doing an examination. (See Fig. 1: Approach to the Ophthalmologic Patient: Cross-section of the eye.Figures for a cross-section of the eye.)

Fig. 1

Cross-section of the eye.

The zonules of Zinn keep the lens suspended, and the muscles of the ciliary body focus the lens. The ciliary body also secretes aqueous humor, which fills the anterior and posterior chambers, passes through the pupil into the anterior chamber, and drains primarily via Schlemm's canal (see Fig. 1: Glaucoma: Aqueous humor production and flow.Figures). The iris regulates the amount of light entering the eye by adjusting the size of its central opening, the pupil. Visual images are focused on the retina. The fovea centralis is the area of sharpest visual acuity. The conjunctiva covers the eyeball and lines the upper and lower eyelids; it ends at the limbus. The cornea is covered with epithelium that is more sensitive than and differs from the conjunctival epithelium.

Last full review/revision April 2009 by Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD

Content last modified November 2005

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