The long ciliary nerves are 2-3 nerves that arise from the

nasociliary nerve The nasociliary nerve is a branch of the ophthalmic nerve, itself 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 nerve. Structure The naso ...

(itself a branch of the ophthalmic branch (CN V₁) of the trigeminal nerve (CN V)). They enter the eyeball to provide sensory innervation to parts of the eye, and sympathetic visceral motor innervation to the dilator pupillae muscle.

Anatomy

Origin

The long ciliary nerves branch from the

as it crosses the optic nerve (CN II).

Course

Accompanied by the

short ciliary nerves The short ciliary nerves are nerves of the orbit around the eye. They are branches of the ciliary ganglion. They supply parasympathetic and sympathetic nerve fibers to the ciliary muscle, iris, and cornea. Damage to the short ciliary nerve ma ...

, the long ciliary nerves pierce and enter the posterior part of the

sclera The sclera, also known as the white of the eye or, in older literature, as the tunica albuginea oculi, is the opaque, fibrous, protective, outer layer of the human eye containing mainly collagen and some crucial elastic fiber. In humans, and som ...

near where it is entered by the optic nerve, then run anterior-ward between the sclera and the

choroid The choroid, also known as the choroidea or choroid coat, is a part of the uvea, the vascular layer of the eye, and contains connective tissues, and lies between the retina and the sclera. The human choroid is thickest at the far extreme rear ...

Function

The long ciliary nerves are distributed to the ciliary body,

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

, and

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power ...

Sensory

The long ciliary nerves provide sensory innervation to the

eyeball Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

, including the cornea.

Sympathetic

The long ciliary nerves contain post-ganglionic sympathetic fibers from the

superior cervical ganglion The superior cervical ganglion (SCG) is part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS); more specifically, it is part of the sympathetic nervous system, a division of the ANS most commonly associated with the fight or flight response. The ANS is comp ...

for the dilator pupillae muscle. The sympathetic fibers to the dilator pupillae muscle mainly travel in the

but there are also sympathetic fibers in the short ciliary nerves that pass through the ciliary ganglion without forming synapses.

Anatomy

Origin

Course

Function

Sensory

Sympathetic

See also

Additional images

References

External links