Family Friendly & Specialty Dentists in London, UK
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Structure and Contents of the Orbit
- The orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull that contains the eye and its appendages.
- The volume of the orbit in adult humans is 30 millilitres, with the eye occupying 6.5ml.
- The orbital contents include the eye, extraocular muscles, cranial nerves II, III, IV, V, and VI, blood vessels, fat, lacrimal gland, eyelids, and ligaments.
- The orbit consists of a base, an apex, and four walls.
- The walls of the orbit are formed by seven bones, including the frontal, lacrimal, ethmoid, zygomatic, maxillary, palatine, and sphenoid bones.
Openings in the Orbit
- Important openings in the orbit include the supraorbital foramen, infraorbital foramen, superior orbital fissure, inferior orbital fissure, and optic canal.
- These openings contain structures crucial to normal eye functioning, such as nerves and blood vessels.
- The supraorbital foramen contains the supraorbital nerve, while the infraorbital foramen contains the infraorbital nerve.
- The optic canal contains cranial nerve II (optic nerve) and the ophthalmic artery.
- The superior orbital fissure is a pathway for intracranial communication and contains cranial nerves III, IV, VI, and ophthalmic branches of cranial nerve V.
Bony Walls of the Orbit
- The orbit is formed by a mosaic of seven embryologically distinct bones, including the zygomatic, sphenoid, maxillary, lacrimal, ethmoid, frontal, and palatine bones.
- The ethmoid bone forms the thinnest wall of the orbit, known as the lamina papyracea.
- The frontal bone forms the superior margin of the orbital rim.
- The orbital plate of the frontal bone and the lesser wing of the sphenoid form the roof of the orbit.
- The floor of the orbit is formed by the maxilla, zygomatic bone, and palatine bone.
Borders of the Orbit
- The base of the orbit, also known as the orbital margin, has four borders formed by different bones.
- The superior margin is formed by the frontal bone.
- The inferior margin is formed by the maxilla and zygomatic bone.
- The medial margin is formed by the frontal bone and maxilla.
- The lateral margin is formed by the zygomatic bone and frontal bone.
Function of the Orbit
- The main function of the orbit is to hold and protect the eyes.
- Eye movement is controlled by six extraocular muscles.
- The ophthalmic artery and superior ophthalmic vein are important blood vessels in the orbit.
- The optic canal contains the optic nerve, which is crucial for vision.
- The orbit also protects the eyes from mechanical injury.
