Anatomy of Conjuctiva

Faiz bin Mazlan

0308187
BATCH 4
Parts of Conjuctiva
 Palpebral Conjuctiva
• Conjunctiva which lines the undersurface
or posterior surface of the eyelid

3 Parts of palpebral conjuctiva

Marginal conjunctiva

• It starts from the intermarginal strips of

the eyelid (continuation of the skin) in to
the back or posterior surface of the lid
up to shallow groove or fold (sulcus
subtarsalis), where it merges with the
conjunctiva proper.
• 2 mm in distance
Tarsal Conjuctiva
• Firmly adherent to the tarsal plate
• Thin + transparent + highly vascular
structure
• Tarsal (Meibomian) glands appear
as yellow streaks through the tarsal
conjunctiva
Orbital Conjuctiva
• Extends from the upper border of the
tarsal plate to the fornix
• Loosely attached to the superior tarsal
muscle (Müller’s muscle) and so folds
readily
 Bulbar Conjuctiva
2 parts of Bulbar Conjuctiva

Scleral Conjuctiva

•Thin, transparent & loosely attached to

underlying sclera
• Permits the visualization of conjunctival and
episcleral vessels
• Separated from the sclera by episcleral vessels
and Tenon’s capsule

Limbal Conjuctiva

• 3mm ridge around the cornea

• Conjunctiva, Tenon’s capsule and episcleral
tissue are fused together at the limbus
• Strongly adherent to sclero-corneal junction
 Conjuctival Fornix
• Fold lining the cul-de-sac formed by conjunctiva
covering the posterior surface of the lids to the
conjunctiva covering the anterior surface of the
globe.
• The conjunctiva here is comparatively thicker
and loosely attached in order to allow free
movement of the globe.

4 regions of Conjuctival Fornix

• Superior fornix lies between upper lid and the globe.
• Inferior fornix lies between lower lid and the globe .
• Lateral fornix lies between the lateral canthus and the globe.
• Medial fornix is the shallowest and contains caruncle and the plica semilunaris.
Variation in Histological Appearance in
Conjuctiva

Conjuctival Site Palpebral Bulbar Limbus

Stratified squamous
Stratified squamous Stratified columnar
Histological epithelium + limbal
epithelium + lamina epithelium + lamina
differences pupillae formed by
propria propria
lamina propria
Blood Supply
Venous Drainage
 References
• Parthopratim DM. Illustrated Ocular Anatomy [
Internet ]. Available from :
http://www.eophtha.com/eophtha/anatomy/anatomyof
conjunctiva.html
• Bye LA, Modi NC,Stanforf M. Basic Science for
Ophthalmology. 2013. Oxford University Press.
United Kingdom