The ophthalmic nerve (V₁) is a sensory nerve of the face. It is one of three divisions of the

trigeminal nerve In neuroanatomy, the trigeminal nerve ( lit. ''triplet'' nerve), also known as the fifth cranial nerve, cranial nerve V, or simply CN V, is a cranial nerve responsible for sensation in the face and motor functions such as biting and chewin ...

(CN V). It has three branches that provide sensory innervation to the eye, 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 cuticle, animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have diffe ...

of the upper face, and the skin of the anterior

scalp The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the human face at the front, and by the neck at the sides and back. Structure The scalp is usually described as having five layers, which can conveniently be remembered as a mnemonic: * S: The ski ...

Structure

The ophthalmic nerve is the first branch of the

(CN V). It is joined by filaments from the

cavernous plexus The cavernous nerve plexus (also called the Walther plexus) is situated below and medial to that part of the internal carotid artery which is placed by the side of the sella turcica in the cavernous sinus, and is formed chiefly by the medial div ...

of the sympathetic, and communicates with the

oculomotor The oculomotor nerve, also known as the third cranial nerve, cranial nerve III, or simply CN III, is a cranial nerve that enters the orbit (anatomy), orbit through the superior orbital fissure and innervates extraocular muscles that enable mo ...

, trochlear, and abducent nerves. It gives off a recurrent (meningeal) filament which passes between the layers of the tentorium.

Branches

The ophthalmic nerve divides into three major branches as it passes through the superior orbital fissure. *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 na ...

gives off several sensory branches to the orbit. It then continues out through the

anterior ethmoidal foramen The anterior ethmoidal foramen is a small opening in the ethmoid bone in the skull. Lateral to either olfactory groove are the internal openings of the anterior and posterior ethmoidal foramina (or canals). The anterior ethmoidal foramen, situa ...

, where it enters the nasal cavity. It provides innervation for much of the anterior nasal mucosa. It also gives off a branch which exits through the nasal bones to form the external nasal nerve. *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 ...

passes through the orbit superiorly to innervate 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 ...

and part of the

upper eyelid 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 eyel ...

. *The

frontal nerve The frontal nerve is the largest branch of the ophthalmic nerve (V1), itself a branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V). It supplies sensation to the skin of the forehead, the mucosa of the frontal sinus, and the skin of the upper eyelid. It may be ...

passes through the orbit superiorly. It passes through the

supraorbital foramen The supraorbital foramen, is a bony elongated opening located above the orbit (eye socket) and under the forehead. It is part of the frontal bone of the skull. The supraorbital foramen lies directly under the eyebrow. In some people this foramen i ...

to provide sensory innervation for the skin of the forehead and scalp through the supraorbital nerve and the

supratrochlear nerve The supratrochlear nerve is a branch of the frontal nerve, itself a branch of the ophthalmic nerve (CN V1) from the trigeminal nerve (CN V). It provides sensory innervation to the skin of the forehead and the upper eyelid. Structure The suprat ...

Function

The ophthalmic nerve supplies branches to the

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 ...

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 ciliar ...

, and

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 ...

; to the

and

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 ...

; 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 is ...

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 nasal c ...

; and to the skin of 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 ...

eyebrow An eyebrow is an area of short hairs above each eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. In humans, eyebrows serve two main functions: first, communication through facial expression, and second, preven ...

, forehead and

nose A nose is a protuberance in vertebrates that houses the nostrils, or nares, which receive and expel air for respiration alongside the mouth. Behind the nose are the olfactory mucosa and the sinuses. Behind the nasal cavity, air next passes th ...

. It is the smallest of the three divisions of the trigeminal, and arises from the upper part of the

trigeminal ganglion A trigeminal ganglion (or Gasserian ganglion, or semilunar ganglion, or Gasser's ganglion) is the sensory ganglion at the base of each of the two trigeminal nerves (CN V), occupying a cavity ( Meckel's cave) in the dura mater, covering the trige ...

as a short, flattened band, about 2.5 cm. long, which passes forward along the lateral wall of the cavernous sinus, below the

and

trochlear nerve The trochlear nerve (), ( lit. ''pulley-like'' nerve) also known as the fourth cranial nerve, cranial nerve IV, or CN IV, is a cranial nerve that innervates just one muscle: the superior oblique muscle of the eye, which operates through the pul ...

s; just before entering the orbit, through the

superior orbital fissure The superior orbital fissure is a foramen or cleft of the skull between the lesser and greater wings of the sphenoid bone. It gives passage to multiple structures, including the oculomotor nerve, trochlear nerve, ophthalmic nerve, abducens ner ...

, it divides into three branches, lacrimal, frontal, and nasociliary. 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, skull, 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. Compare this to the

maxillary nerve In neuroanatomy, the maxillary nerve (V) is one of the three branches or divisions of the trigeminal nerve, the fifth (CN V) cranial nerve. It comprises the principal functions of sensation from the maxilla, nasal cavity, sinuses, the palate a ...

, which supplies general somatic afferents to the mid-face and skull: * Face: Lower eyelid and associated conjunctiva. Cheek, upper lip. * Skull: Orbital floor, maxillary sinus, upper teeth, nasal cavity, and palate, cheekbone.

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. S ...

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