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EMBRYOLOGY OF THE EYE

Kamleshwari Renganathan 0700196

Optic Vesicle

 First noticeable ~ 22days  optic grooves developing neural tube

II. As neural folds fuse (= forebrain formation) optic vesicles evagination of forebrain

-Induction of lens placode (surface ectoderm) -Formation of optic stalk and optic cup from optic vesicle

Continued development of optic cup and lens


 Optic cup

invagination of distal optic vesicle to form double walled cup  Optic (choroid) fissure sulcus on ventral aspect optic cup/stalk (allows passage of vasculature to lens & layers of cup)  Lens placode ectodermal thickening  Lens pit invaginates to form lens vesicle

Choroid Fissure
2 main function: 1) To allow the mesoderm to infiltrate or reach the inner part of the optic cup-vitreous humor 2) Hyloid artery

Optic nerve

Lens
 Lens placode and lens vesicle formation  Primary lens fibrescells of posterior wall of lens vesicle elongate rapidly to form the primary lens fibres which obliterate the cavity of lens vesicle 3rd month- embryonic nucleus  Secondary lens fibres

equatorial cells of anterior epithelium which remain active through our life

 Fetal nucleus (3rd to 8th month),  Infantile nucleus (last weeks of fetal life to

puberty),  Adult nucleus (after puberty), and  Cortex (superficial lens fibres of adult lens)  Lens capsule is a true basement membrane produced by the lens epithelium on its external aspect.

Ciliary Body
 Two layers of epithelium of cilliary body develop from the anterior part of the 2 layers of optic cup.  Stroma of ciliary body, ciliary muscle and blood vessels are developed from the vascular layer of mesenchyme surrounding the optic cup.

Iris
 Both layers of epithelium are derived from the marginal layers of optic cup(neuroectoderm)  Sphincter and dilator pupillae muscles are derived from the anterior epithelium(neuroectoderm)  Stroma and blood vessel of the iris developed from the vascular layer of mesenchyme surrounding the optic cup.

Cornea
 External layer-ectoderm  The rest are mesodermal

Sclera
 Inner vascular layer of mesenchyme

 Eyelids-surface ectoderm  Conjuctiva-ectoderm  Lacrimal apparatus  Lacrimal sac,nasomacrimal duct n canaliculi

coloboma
-choroid fissure fails to close. Normally this fissure closes during the seventh week of development

Persistent iridopupillary membrane


 The iridopupillary membrane may persist instead of being resorbed during formation of the anterior chamber.

-Hyaloid artery may persist to form a cord or cyst. Normally the distalportion of this vessel degenerates, leaving the proximal part to form the centralartery of the retina.

Micropthalmia & Macropthalmia


 Microphthalmia the eye is too small; the eyeballmay be only two-thirds of its normal volume.  Macropthalmia- 2 to over accumulation vitrusin, the orbit is shallow.

 Anophthalmia is absence of the eye.  Congenital aphakia (absence of the lens) and aniridia (absence of the iris) are rare anomalies

 Cyclopia (single eye) and synophthalmia (fusion of the eyes) comprise a spectrum of defects in which the eyes are partially or completely fused

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