lacrimal artery

Information about lacrimal artery

Artery:
The ophthalmic artery and its branches. (Lacrimal artery visible at center right.)
The tarsi and their ligaments. Right eye; front view. (Lacrimal artery visible at upper left.)
Latina. lacrimalis
subject #146 569
Supplieslacrimal gland, eyelids, conjunctiva
Sourceophthalmic artery
Brancheslateral palpebral arteries
zygomatic branches
recurrent branch
Dorlands/Elsevier a_61/12154804
The lacrimal artery arises close to the optic foramen, and is one of the largest branches derived from the ophthalmic artery: not infrequently it is given off before the artery enters the orbit.

It accompanies the lacrimal nerve along the upper border of the Lateral Rectus, supplies the lacrimal gland.

Branches

Its terminal branches, escaping from the gland, are distributed to the eyelids and conjunctiva: of those supplying the eyelids, two are of considerable size and are named the lateral palpebral arteries; they run medially in the upper and lower lids respectively and anastomose with the medial palpebral arteries, forming an arterial circle in this situation.

The lacrimal artery also give off one or two zygomatic branches, one of which passes through the zygomatico-temporal foramen, to reach the temporal fossa, and anastomoses with the deep temporal arteries; another appears on the cheek through the zygomatico-facial foramen, and anastomoses with the transverse facial.

A recurrent branch passes backward through the lateral part of the superior orbital fissure to the dura mater, and anastomoses with a branch of the middle meningeal artery.

Variations

The lacrimal artery is sometimes derived from one of the anterior branches of the middle meningeal artery.

Additional images


Bloodvessels of the eyelids, front view.


External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

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Arteries of head and neck
CC, EC: Anteriorsuperior thyroid (superior laryngeal) - lingual (sublingual)
facial: cervical branches (ascending palatine - tonsillar - submental - glandular) - facial branches (inferior labial - superior labial - lateral nasal - angular)
EC: Posterior and ascendingoccipital - posterior auricular (stylomastoid) - ascending pharyngeal (meningeal branches)
EC: Terminal, superficial temporaltransverse facial - middle temporal (zygomaticorbital) - anterior auricular - frontal - parietal
EC: Terminal, maxillary1st part: anterior tympanic - deep auricular - middle meningeal (superior tympanic) - accessory meningeal - inferior alveolar (mylohyoid)
2nd part: deep temporal - pterygoid branches - masseteric - buccal
3rd part: posterior superior alveolar - infraorbital (anterior superior alveolar) - descending palatine - artery of the pterygoid canal - sphenopalatine
CC, IC: portions #1 and 2cervical portion - petrous portion (Vidian, caroticotympanic)
IC: cavernous portion/ophthalmicorbital group: lacrimal - supraorbital - posterior ethmoidal - anterior ethmoidal - medial palpebral - supratrochlear - dorsal nasal
ocular group: central retinal - ciliary (short posterior, long posterior, anterior) - superior hypophysial - inferior hypophyseal
IC: cerebral portionACA - anterior communicating - MCA (anterolateral central) - posterior communicating - anterior choroidal - circle of Willis
SUBCLAVIAN: vertebralmeningeal branches - posterior spinal - anterior spinal - PICA - basilar (pontine - labyrinthine - AICA - SCA - PCA)
SUBCLAVIAN: thyrocervicalinferior thyroid (inferior laryngeal, tracheal, esophageal, ascending cervical) - suprascapular - transverse cervical - dorsal scapular
The ophthalmic artery is a branch of the internal carotid artery which supplies branches to supply the eye and other structures in the orbit.

Branches

The branches of the ophthalmic artery are often subdivided into an orbital group and an ocular group [1] .
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Latin}}} 
Official status
Official language of: Vatican City
Used for official purposes, but not spoken in everyday speech
Regulated by: Opus Fundatum Latinitas
Roman Catholic Church
Language codes
ISO 639-1: la
ISO 639-2: lat
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The lacrimal glands are paired glands, one for each eye, that secrete the aqueous layer of the tear film. They are situated in the upper, outer portion of each orbit.

Anatomy


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An eyelid is a thin fold of skin and muscle that covers and protects an eye. With the exception of the prepuce and the labia minora, it has the thinnest skin of the whole body. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid to "open" the eye.
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The conjunctiva is a membrane that covers the sclera (white part of the eye) and lines the inside of the eyelids.

Function

It helps lubricate the eye by producing mucus and tears, although a smaller volume of tears than the lacrimal gland.
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The ophthalmic artery is a branch of the internal carotid artery which supplies branches to supply the eye and other structures in the orbit.

Branches

The branches of the ophthalmic artery are often subdivided into an orbital group and an ocular group [1] .
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The lateral palpebral arteries are small arteries which supply the eyelid.

See also

  • Medial palpebral arteries


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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery (with accompanying sympathetic nerve fibres) into the orbital cavity.

The optic foramen is the opening to the optic canal.
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The ophthalmic artery is a branch of the internal carotid artery which supplies branches to supply the eye and other structures in the orbit.

Branches

The branches of the ophthalmic artery are often subdivided into an orbital group and an ocular group [1] .
..... Click the link for more information.
In anatomy, the orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated.

It can also mean the skin which surrounds the eye of a bird.

In the adult human, the volume of the orbit is 30 ml, of which the eye occupies 6.5 ml.
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The lacrimal nerve is the smallest of the three branches of the ophthalmic.

It sometimes receives a filament from the trochlear nerve, but this is possibly derived from the branch which goes from the ophthalmic to the trochlear nerve.
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lateral rectus muscle is a muscle in the orbit. It is one of six extraocular muscles that control the movements of the eye (abduction in this case) and the only muscle innervated by the abducens nerve, cranial nerve VI.
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The lacrimal glands are paired glands, one for each eye, that secrete the aqueous layer of the tear film. They are situated in the upper, outer portion of each orbit.

Anatomy


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An eyelid is a thin fold of skin and muscle that covers and protects an eye. With the exception of the prepuce and the labia minora, it has the thinnest skin of the whole body. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid to "open" the eye.
..... Click the link for more information.
The conjunctiva is a membrane that covers the sclera (white part of the eye) and lines the inside of the eyelids.

Function

It helps lubricate the eye by producing mucus and tears, although a smaller volume of tears than the lacrimal gland.
..... Click the link for more information.
The lateral palpebral arteries are small arteries which supply the eyelid.

See also

  • Medial palpebral arteries


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The medial palpebral arteries (internal palpebral arteries) are arteries of the head. They are two in number, superior and inferior, arise from the ophthalmic, opposite the pulley of the Obliquus superior.
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Near the center of the temporal surface of the zygomatic bone is the zygomaticotemporal foramen for the transmission of the zygomaticotemporal nerve.

External links

  • SUNY Labs 22:os-0409
  • Zygomaticotemporal+foramen

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The temporal fossa is a shallow depression on the side of the skull bounded by the temporal lines and terminating below the level of the zygomatic arch.

Boundaries

  • Above: Superior and inferior temporal lines
  • Roof: Temporalis fascia

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The deep temporal arteries, two in number, anterior and posterior, ascend between the Temporalis and the pericranium.

They supply the muscle, and anastomose with the middle temporal artery.
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zygomaticofacial foramen, for the passage of the zygomaticofacial nerve and vessels; below this foramen is a slight elevation, which gives origin to the Zygomaticus.

External links

  • SUNY Figs 22:01-08
  • Zygomaticofacial+foramen

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The transverse facial artery is an artery that branches from the superficial temporal artery and runs across the face.

Course

The transverse facial artery is given off from the superficial temporal artery before that vessel leaves the parotid gland; running forward
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The superior orbital fissure is a foramen in the skull, although strictly it is more of a cleft, lying between the lesser and greater wings of the sphenoid bone.

Structures passing through


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The dura mater (from the Latin "hard mother"), or pachymeninx, is the tough and inflexible outermost of the three layers of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord. (The other two meningeal layers are the pia mater and the arachnoid mater.
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The middle meningeal artery (Latin arteria meningea media) is typically the first branch of the first part (retromandibular part) of the maxillary artery; one of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery.
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The middle meningeal artery (Latin arteria meningea media) is typically the first branch of the first part (retromandibular part) of the maxillary artery; one of the two terminal branches of the external carotid artery.
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eMedicine is an online clinical medical knowledge base that was founded in 1996 by Scott Plantz and Richard Lavely, two medical doctors. It was sold to WebMD in January 2006.
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Public domain comprises the body of knowledge and innovation (especially creative works such as writing, art, music, and inventions) in relation to which no person or other legal entity can establish or maintain proprietary interests within a particular legal jurisdiction.
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Henry Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (or Gray's Anatomy as it has commonly been shortened) is an English-language human anatomy textbook widely regarded as a classic work on the subject.
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