The lacrimal artery is an

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pul ...

of the

orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such as a p ...

. It is a branch of the

ophthalmic artery The ophthalmic artery (OA) is an artery of the head. It is the first branch of the internal carotid artery distal to the cavernous sinus. Branches of the ophthalmic artery supply all the structures in the orbit around the eye, as well as some s ...

. It accompanies the

lacrimal nerve The lacrimal nerve is the smallest branch of the ophthalmic nerve (V1), itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V). The other branches of the ophthalmic nerve are the frontal nerve and nasociliary nerve. Structure The lacrimal nerve branche ...

along the upper border of the

lateral rectus muscle Lateral is a geometric term of location which may refer to: Healthcare *Lateral (anatomy), an anatomical direction * Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle * Lateral release (surgery), a surgical procedure on the side of a kneecap Phonetics *Lateral co ...

, travelling forward to reach 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 or ...

. It supplies the

, two rectus muscles of the eye, the

eyelids An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retracts the eyelid, exposing the cornea to the outside, giving vision. This can be either voluntarily or involuntarily. The human eye ...

, and the

conjunctiva The conjunctiva 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 goblet cells, stratified columnar epithelium ...

Structure

Origin

The lacrimal artery is normally a branch of the

and represents one of its largest branches. It's origin occurs near the

optic canal The ''optic foramen'' is the opening to the optic canal. The canal is located in the sphenoid bone; it is bounded medially by the body of the sphenoid and laterally by the lesser wing of the sphenoid. The superior surface of the sphenoid bone is b ...

. It usually branches off the ophthalmic artery just after the ophthalmic artery's entery into the

. It can rarely arise before the ophthalmic artery enters the

Course and relations

The lacrimal artery accompanies the

along the upper border of the

. It travels anterior-ward to supply the lacrimal gland.

Branches and distribution

The lacrimal artery supplies the

, the

and

, and the superior rectus muscle and

. Recurrent meningeal branch A recurrent meningeal branch may sometimes arise from the lacrimal artery to pass backwards, exiting the orbit through the lateral part of the superior orbital fissure to reach the

dura mater In neuroanatomy, dura mater is a thick membrane made of dense irregular connective tissue that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. It is the outermost of the three layers of membrane called the meninges that protect the central nervous system. ...

. It anastomoses with a branch of the

middle meningeal artery The middle meningeal artery ('' la, arteria meningea media'') is typically the third branch of the first portion of the maxillary artery. After branching off the maxillary artery in the infratemporal fossa, it runs through the foramen spinosum t ...

. Zygomatic branches The lacrimal artery also gives off one or two zygomatic branches: one passes through the

zygomatico-temporal foramen In the human skull, the zygomatic bone (from grc, ζῠγόν, zugón, yoke), also called cheekbone or malar bone, is a paired irregular bone which articulates with the maxilla, the temporal bone, the sphenoid bone and the frontal bone. It is s ...

to reach the

temporal fossa The temporal fossa is a fossa (shallow depression) on the side of the skull bounded by the temporal lines and terminating below the level of the zygomatic arch. Boundaries * Medial: frontal bone, parietal bone, temporal bone, and sphenoid bon ...

, and anastomoses with the

deep temporal arteries The deep temporal arteries are two arteries of the head. They ascend between the temporalis muscle and the pericranium. They anastomose with the middle temporal artery, among other vessels. They supply the temporalis muscle. Structure The deep ...

; another appears on the cheek through the

zygomatico-facial foramen The zygomaticofacial foramen is a small aperture. It perforates the malar surface of the convex zygomatic bone near its center, for the passage of the zygomaticofacial nerve and vessels. Below this foramen In anatomy and osteology, a foramen ...

, and anastomoses with the

transverse facial artery 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 glan ...

. Terminal branches Its terminal branches after the lacrimal gland are distributed to the

and

. Two terminal branches supplying the eyelids are of considerable size and are termed the

lateral palpebral arteries The lateral palpebral arteries are the two large branches of those terminal branches of the lacrimal gland that supply the eyelid An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle retra ...

Variation

The lacrimal artery usually branches from the

after it enters the

, but may rarely branch off before the ophthalmic artery enters the orbit. It is sometimes instead derived from one of the anterior branches of the

. It shows some variation in course.

Additional images

File:Gray515.png, Bloodvessels of the eyelids, front view.

References

{{Authority control Arteries of the head and neck