The Periorbita

The periorbita or ocular sheath is a conical fibrous membrane which incloses the eyeball with its muscles, vessels, nerves, etc. Its apex is attached around the optic and lacerated foramina, and its base is in part attached to the bony rim of the orbit, in part continuous with the fibrous layer of the lids. Its inner part, which is in contact with the orbital wall, is thin; incorporated with it beneath the root of the supraorbital process is the bar of cartilage around which the superior oblique muscle is reflected. The outer part is thicker, and is strengthened by an elastic band which is attached to the pterygoid crest and furnishes origin to the thin unstriped orbital muscle. A quantity of fat (Corpus adiposum extraorbitale) lies about the periorbita, and within it is the intraorbital adipose tissue (Corpus adiposum intraorbitale) which fills the interstices between the eyeball, muscles, etc.