2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
2 Fundamentals and Principles of Ophthalmology
Part I: Anatomy
Chapter 1: Orbit and Ocular Adnexa
Ciliary Ganglion
Short Ciliary Nerves
There are 2 groups of short ciliary nerves, totaling 6–10, which arise from the ciliary ganglion (see Fig 1-10). They travel on both sides of the optic nerve and, together with the long ciliary nerves, pierce the sclera around the optic nerve (see Fig 1-19). Both long and short ciliary nerves pass anteriorly between the choroid and the sclera to the ciliary muscle, where they form a plexus that supplies the cornea, the ciliary body, and the iris. The long ciliary nerves, which arise directly from the nasociliary branch of CN V1 (ophthalmic division of the trigeminal neve), are sensory nerves. The short ciliary nerves are both sensory and motor nerves, carrying autonomic fibers to the pupil and ciliary muscles (see Chapter 3).
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 2 - Fundamentals and Principles of Ophthalmology. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.