2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
6 Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
Part I: Strabismus
Chapter 3: Anatomy of the Extraocular Muscles
Origin, Course, Insertion, and Innervation of the Extraocular Muscles
Levator Palpebrae Superioris Muscle
The levator palpebrae superioris muscle arises at the orbital apex from the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone, just superior to the annulus of Zinn. At its origin, the muscle blends with the superior rectus muscle inferiorly and with the superior oblique muscle medially. The levator palpebrae superioris passes anteriorly, lying just above the superior rectus muscle; the fascial sheaths of these 2 muscles are connected. The levator palpebrae superioris muscle becomes an aponeurosis in the region of the superior fornix. This muscle has both a cutaneous and a tarsal insertion. BCSC Section 7, Oculofacial Plastic and Orbital Surgery, discusses this muscle in detail.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 10 - Glaucoma. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.