Anatomy study note · Head and neck

Cornea

The transparent front part of the outer coat of the eyeball and the most important refractive medium of the eye; most refraction happens at its front surface.

Key points

• Main refracting surface of the eye.
• Avascular: nourished by aqueous humour.
• Sensory: long ciliary nerves (V1).
• Corneal epithelium: surface ectoderm; stroma: mesoderm.
• 5 layers: epithelium, Bowman, stroma, Descemet, endothelium.
• Avascular → transplants are not rejected.

The full note in the atlas also covers

Features · Nerve supply · Histology · Development

Sign in free to see it on the 3D model, read the full note and practise questions on it.

Written from

• Snell’s Clinical Anatomy by Regions, 10th ed., ch. 12, PDF p. 1596
• Inderbir Singh’s Human Embryology, ch. 19, PDF pp. 352, 356–357, 359
• BRS Cell Biology & Histology, 7th ed., ch. 21, PDF pp. 380–381

More from the head and neck

• Corniculate and cuneiform cartilages
• Corpus callosum
• Corpus striatum
• Cricoid cartilage
• Cricothyroid
• Deep cervical lymph nodes
• Digastric
• Dura mater
• Dural venous sinuses
• Epiglottis
• Ethmoid
• External carotid artery

Privacy policy · Designed by DATXOC LLC.