The ophthalmic nerve (CN V₁) is a sensory nerve of the head. It is one of three divisions of the trigeminal nerve (CN V), a cranial nerve. It has three major branches which provide sensory innervation to the eye, and the

skin Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...

of the upper face and anterior

scalp The scalp is the area of the head where head hair grows. It is made up of skin, layers of connective and fibrous tissues, and the membrane of the skull. Anatomically, the scalp is part of the epicranium, a collection of structures covering th ...

, as well as other structures of the head.

Structure

Origin

The ophthalmic nerve is the first branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V), the first and smallest of its three divisions. It arises from the superior part of the trigeminal ganglion.

Course

It passes anterior-ward along the lateral wall of the

cavernous sinus The cavernous sinus within the human head is one of the dural venous sinuses creating a cavity called the lateral sellar compartment bordered by the temporal bone of the skull and the sphenoid bone, lateral to the sella turcica. Structure The ...

inferior to the oculomotor nerve (CN III) and trochlear nerve (N IV). It exits the skull into the orbit through the superior orbital fissure.

Branches

Within the skull, the ophthalmic nerve produces: * meningeal branch (tentorial nerve) The ophthalmic nerve divides into three major branches which pass through the superior orbital fissure: * frontal nerve ** supraorbital nerve ** supratrochlear nerve * lacrimal nerve *

nasociliary nerve The nasociliary nerve is a branch of the ophthalmic nerve (CN V1) (which is in turn a branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V)). It is intermediate in size between the other two branches of the ophthalmic nerve, the frontal nerve and lacrimal ner ...

posterior ethmoidal nerve The posterior ethmoidal nerve is a nerve of the head. It is a branch of the nasociliary nerve (itself a branch of the Ophthalmic nerve, ophthalmic nerve (CN V1)). It provides sensory innervation to the sphenoid sinus and ethmoid sinus, and part o ...

** anterior ethmoidal nerve *** external nasal nerve ** long ciliary nerves ** infratrochlear nerve ** communicating branch to ciliary ganglion

Distribution

The ophthalmic nerve provides sensory innervation to the

cornea The cornea is the transparency (optics), transparent front part of the eyeball which covers the Iris (anatomy), iris, pupil, and Anterior chamber of eyeball, anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and Lens (anatomy), lens, the cornea ...

ciliary body The ciliary body is a part of the eye that includes the ciliary muscle, which controls the shape of the lens, and the ciliary epithelium, which produces the aqueous humor. The aqueous humor is produced in the non-pigmented portion of the ciliary ...

, and iris; to the

lacrimal gland The lacrimal glands are paired exocrine glands, one for each eye, found in most terrestrial vertebrates and some marine mammals, that secrete the aqueous layer of the tear film. In humans, they are situated in the upper lateral region of each o ...

and

conjunctiva In the anatomy of the eye, the conjunctiva (: conjunctivae) is a thin mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and covers the sclera (the white of the eye). It is composed of non-keratinized, stratified squamous epithelium with gobl ...

; to the part of the

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It ...

of the

nasal cavity The nasal cavity is a large, air-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face. The nasal septum divides the cavity into two cavities, also known as fossae. Each cavity is the continuation of one of the two nostrils. The nas ...

; and to the skin of the eyelids,

eyebrow An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the Supraorbital ridge, brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, human communication, communication thro ...

forehead In human anatomy, the forehead is an area of the head bounded by three features, two of the skull and one of the scalp. The top of the forehead is marked by the hairline, the edge of the area where hair on the scalp grows. The bottom of the fo ...

and

nose A nose is a sensory organ and respiratory structure in vertebrates. It consists of a nasal cavity inside the head, and an external nose on the face. The external nose houses the nostrils, or nares, a pair of tubes providing airflow through the ...

. It carries sensory branches from the eyes, conjunctiva, lacrimal gland, nasal cavity, frontal sinus, ethmoidal cells, falx cerebri, dura mater in the anterior cranial fossa, superior parts of the tentorium cerebelli, upper eyelid, dorsum of the nose, and anterior part of the scalp. Roughly speaking, the ophthalmic nerve supplies general somatic afferents to the upper face, head, and eye: * Face: Upper eyelid and associated conjunctiva. Eyebrow, forehead, scalp all the way to the lambdoid suture. * Skull: Roof of orbit, frontal, ethmoid, and possibly sphenoid sinuses. * Eye: The eye itself (all the intraocular structures such as cornea) and the lacrimal gland and sac. In comparison, the maxillary nerve (CN V2) provides general somatic afferents to the mid-face and mid-head.

Clinical significance

Damage to the ophthalmic nerve can cause loss of sensation of the structures it supplies in the face. The

corneal reflex The corneal reflex, also known as the blink reflex or eyelid reflex, is an involuntary blinking of the eyelids elicited by stimulation of the cornea (such as by touching or by a foreign body), though it could result from any peripheral stimulus ...

may be lost, which can increase the risk of damage to the

Additional images

Image:Gray776.png, Nerves of the orbit. Seen from above. Image:Gray784.png, Dermatome distribution of the trigeminal nerve Image:Ciliary ganglion pathways.png, Pathways in the ciliary ganglion. Image:Ophtalmic nerve.jpg, Ophthalmic nerve File:Slide10nnn.JPG, Ophthalmic nerve File:Slide1abaa.JPG, Extrinsic eye muscle. Nerves of orbita. Deep dissection. File:Slide4abab.JPG, Extrinsic eye muscle. Nerves of orbita. Deep dissection. File:Slide5abab.JPG, Extrinsic eye muscle. Nerves of orbita. Deep dissection. File:Slide6abab.JPG, Extrinsic eye muscle. Nerves of orbita. Deep dissection. File:Slide7abab.JPG, Extrinsic eye muscle. Nerves of orbita. Deep dissection.

References

External links

* * * () {{Authority control Trigeminal nerve Sensory systems Otorhinolaryngology Cranial nerves