2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
4 Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors
Part I: Ophthalmic Pathology
Chapter 9: Lens
Topography
Zonular Fibers
The lens is supported by the zonular fibers, which insert on both the anterior and the posterior lens capsule in the midperiphery (see Chapter 7, Fig 7-8). These fibers hold the lens in place through their attachments to the nonpigmented epithelium of the ciliary pars plana and the valleys of the pars plicata. The zonular fibers are composed of an elastic type of glycoprotein known as fibrillin and have an important role in molding the lens shape for accommodation.
See BCSC Section 2, Fundamentals and Principles of Ophthalmology, for more information on the structure and development of the crystalline lens.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 4 - Ophthalmic Pathology and Intraocular Tumors. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.