Structure of the Supraorbital Nerve
- The supraorbital nerve branches from the frontal nerve midway between the base and apex of the orbit.
- It travels anteriorly above the levator palpebrae superioris muscle.
- The nerve exits the orbit through the supraorbital foramen in the superior margin of the orbit.
- It exits the orbit lateral to the supratrochlear nerve.
- The supraorbital nerve divides into a medial branch and a lateral branch on the forehead beneath the corrugator supercilii and frontalis muscles.
Function of the Supraorbital Nerve
- The supraorbital nerve provides sensory innervation to the skin of the lateral forehead and upper eyelid.
- It also provides sensory innervation to the conjunctiva of the upper eyelid and mucosa of the frontal sinus.
Additional Images
- A superior view of left orbit dissection shows the frontal nerve dividing into the supratrochlear nerve medially and the supraorbital nerve laterally.
- An anterior view of the orbit shows the supraorbital nerve exiting through the supraorbital notch with the supraorbital artery.
Reference
- Stranding, Susan (2015). Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice (41st ed.). Philadelphia: Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-7020-5230-9. OCLC 920806541.
Summary
The supraorbital nerve is a branch of the frontal nerve that travels above the levator palpebrae superioris muscle and exits the orbit through the supraorbital foramen. It provides sensory innervation to the skin of the lateral forehead and upper eyelid, as well as the conjunctiva of the upper eyelid and mucosa of the frontal sinus. Additional images demonstrate the division of the frontal nerve and the exit of the supraorbital nerve through the supraorbital notch. The information is referenced from Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice.
The supraorbital nerve is one of two branches of the frontal nerve, itself a branch of the ophthalmic nerve. The other branch of the frontal nerve is the supratrochlear nerve.
| Supraorbital nerve | |
|---|---|
 Nerves of the orbit seen from above (supraorbital nerve labeled at upper right) | |
| Details | |
| From | Frontal nerve |
| Innervates | Skin of forehead and upper eyelid, conjunctiva of upper eyelid, frontal sinus |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | Nervus supraorbitalis |
| TA98 | A14.2.01.021 |
| TA2 | 6200 |
| FMA | 52655 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
supraorbital nerve (plural supraorbital nerves)
