Anatomy and Embryology of

the Eye
Julie D Barliana
Pediatri-Ophthalmology Division
Ophthalmology Department FMUI/RSCM

The Protective Structures of the Eye

O TheOrbit
o The Lids
o The Sclera
The Anterior Segment of the Eye
o The Cornea
o The Aqueous Humor
o The Iris
o The CrystallineLens and CiliaryMuscle
The Posterior Segment of the Eye
o The Retina
o The Vitreous Humor
The Visual System Pathways to the Brain
o The Optic Nerves and Optic Tracts
o The Lateral Geniculate Nucleus
o The Visual Cortex

Anatomy of the eye

Cornea
Iris
Ciliary body
Lens
Retina

vitreus body

Choroid
Optic nerve (NII)

Anatomy of the Eye

Anterior
chamber
(Camera
Oculi
Anterior)
Posterior
Chamber
(Camera Oculi
Posterior)
Badan Kaca
(vitreus
body)

Hyaloid Canal)

Central Vessel
Retina

Embryo

Eye Development
I. Eye Fields-Optic Vesicle
(Weeks 3-4)
II. Optic Cup, Lens Vesicle,
Choroid Fissure, Hyaloid
Artery (Weeks 5-6)
III. Cornea, Anterior Chamber,
Pupillary Membrane, Lens,
Retina (Weeks 7-8)
IV. Iris, Ciliary Body
(Weeks 9-15)
V. Eyelids (Weeks 8-10)

A cut through the embryo

demonstrates the relationship of
the optic groove to this
the neuroectoderm of the optic ectoderm.
groove comes into close contact
with the surface ectoderm in the
area indicated

Optic Vesicle
(Weeks 3-4)

The line
indicates the
location of the
cut.

The optic
grooves form
the optic
stalks and the
optic vesicles.

Contact between the

neural ectoderm of the
optic vesicle and the
surface ectoderm results
in induction of the lens
placode.

Cutting the embryo in the indicated

plane illustrates the lens placode
and the adjacent portion of the
optic vesicle as it begins to
invaginate

Optic Cup, Lens Vesicle,

Choroid Fissure, Hyaloid Artery
(Weeks 5-6)

The invaginating lens placode

forms the lens vesicle that
pinches off the surface ectoderm.
Invagination of the optic vesicle
forms the bilayered optic cup
that remains connected to the
forebrain via the optic stalk.

Contact
between the
surface
ectoderm and
the budding
optic vesicle
induces the
differentiation
of a population

The lens placode

invaginates,
forming the lens
vesicle.
Concurrently, the
optic vesicle
becomes the optic
cup.

The lens vesicle

eventually becomes the
lens and the two layers
of the optic cup become
the neural and
pigmented layers of the
retina.

The optic vesicle and

the optic stalk
invaginate, forming
the choroid fissure
inferiorly.
The arrows show the
areas of invagination.

This diagram
represents the cut
shown by the
dotted line. The
hyaloid artery
courses through
the choroid
fissure.

illustrates the lens

vesicle and the
hyaloid artery.

Cornea, Anterior Chamber,

Pupillary Membrane,
Lens, Retina (Weeks 7-8)

The hyaloid vasculature

surrounds the back of the lens.
Following separation of the lens
from the surface, the posterior
lens fibers elongate to obliterate
the lens cavity and the cornea
begins to differentiate

The anterior chamber of

the eye forms as a space
develops between the
lens and its closely
associated iridopupillary
membrane and the

Cornea

The cornea consists

of an outer epithelial
layer derived from
surface ectoderm and
inner layers derived
from neural crest
cells.

Iris, Ciliary Body (Weeks 9-15)

The pupillary membrane should

regress, but may persist after
birth, appearing as in the
diagram.

Retina

As the retina develops, the

pigmented layer becomes
relatively thinner while the
neural portion thickens.

As the neural portion

develops, it
differentiates into
distinct cell layers.

Iris, Ciliary Body (Weeks

9-15)

The iris forms from the outer rim

of the optic cup

At the rim of the optic cup, the inner

and outer layers become closely

Folding of these
layers results in
formation of the
ciliary processes.

Eyelids (Weeks 8-10)

By the end of the

embryonic period,
eyelids begin to form.

The eyelids fuse at the beginning

of the second trimester and
reopen at the beginning of the
third trimester.

Iris and Cilliary body

Some Ocular Anomalies

Retinal detachmentbetween
inner and outer portions of the
optic cup derivatives
congenitalfailure of fusion
acquiredtrauma
Defects in closure of optic
(choroid) fissure
retinal coloboma
iridial coloboma
Aniridia (rare) 1 in 75,000

Extraocular Muscles
Develop from
somitomeres I-IV
(paraxial mesoderm
cranial to the occipital
somites)
Innervated via CN III, IV, & VI
Coordinate movements between the two
eyes
(usually conjugate, although some
instances
of physiological vergence exist)

Extraocular
mm.
Inferior oblique
Medial
rectus
Superior oblique
Superior rectus
Levator palpebrae sup.
Lateral rectus
Inferior rectus
(not shown)

Oculomotor Nerve (CN III)

Somatic motor
(oculomotor nucleus):
Sup. rectus, Inf. rectus,
Med. rectus, Inferior
oblique
& Levator palpebrae

Parasympathetic
(Edinger-Westphal nucleus):
Ciliary m. &
Constrictor pupillae m.

Trochlear Nerve (CN IV)

Somatic motor only
(trochlear nucleus):
Superior oblique m.

Abducens Nerve (CN VI)

Somatic motor only
(abducens nucleus):
Lateral rectus m.

Extraocular Muscle Anomalies

(congenital)
Agenesis (single muscle usually)
Anomalous Attachments
misplaced
additional attachments

Adherence & Fibrosis Syndromes

**Failure to align visual axes (strabismus),
thus potentially resulting in diplopia
(double-vision)
Amblyopiareduced/absent visual ability
in one eye
lazy eye

VISUAL REFLEXES
Pupillary Light Reflexes: 30wks
gestation
Constriction (parasympathetic)
Dilation (sympathetic)

Accommodation (4 months = well

developed)
(The Near Reflex)

Visual Development

Visual Developmental
Milestones
Pupillary Light Reaction30 wks
gestation
(CN II/symp/parasymp integration)
Lid closure in response to bright light
30 wks gest.
(CN IICN VII reflex)
Blink response to visual threat25months
(CN IICN VII reflex)
Visual Fixationbirth (well dev=69wks)

Visual pathway

Rods and Cones

Cone cells see in bright light and rod
cells see in black and white and in
dark light

Physiology of Vision
Light energy enters the eye, and the
cornea and lens focus it onto the retina
The light stimulates the rods and cones,
two types of cells found in retina
The rods and cones send impulses to
the optic nerve, which carries them to
the visual area of the cortex
The cortex interprets the image and you
see

 Nearsightedness occurs
when light is focused in
front of the retina
Farsightedness occurs
when light is focused
behind the retina
Concave lens, thicker at
edge than in the middle,
corrects nearsightedness
Convex lens, thicker in
middle than at edge,
corrects farsightedness

Visual development
In the early months of life
the visual system is still developing

In a premature infant:
depending on the extent of prematurity
the eyelids may not have fully separated;
the iris may not constrict or dilate
retinal blood vessels may be immature
visual system is not ready to function

At birth:
the pupils are not yet able to dilate
fully
newborn has poor fixation ability
limited orienting to single targets from
birth to 3 months

By 3 months
ocular movements are coordinated most of
the time;
attraction is to both black and white and
coloured (yellow and red) targets;
the infant is capable of glancing at smaller
targets (as small as 2.5 cm, or about 1 in.);
visual attention and visual searching begin;
the infant begins to associate visual stimuli
with an event (e.g., the bottle and feeding)

By 5-6 months
The infant is able to look at an object in his/her
own hands
ocular movement, although still uncoordinated at
times, is smoother
the infant is visually aware of the environment
("explores" visually), and can shift gaze from
near to far easily
the infant can "study" objects visually at near
point and can converge the eyes to do so; can
fixate at 1m
eye-hand coordination