Optic foramen

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Bone: Optic foramen
1: Foramen ethmoidale 2: Canalis opticus 3: Fissura orbitalis superior 4: Fossa sacci lacrimalis 5: Sulcus infraorbitalis 6: Fissura orbitalis inferior 7: Foramen infraorbitale
Base of the skull. Upper surface. (On the left, "Optic foramen" is the 12th label from the top.
Latin	foramina optica
Gray's	subject #35 147

The optic foramen is the opening to the optic canal. The superior surface of the sphenoid bone is bounded behind by a ridge, which forms the anterior border of a narrow, transverse groove, the chiasmatic groove (optic groove), above and behind which lies the optic chiasma; the groove ends on either side in the optic foramen, which transmits the optic nerve and ophthalmic artery (with accompanying sympathetic nerve fibres) into the orbital cavity. The left and right optic canals are 25mm apart posteriorly and 30mm apart anteriorly. They are funnel-shaped (narrowest anteriorly).

Additional images

The seven bones which articulate to form the orbit.

Sphenoid bone. Upper surface.

Medial wall of left orbit.

Dissection showing origins of right ocular muscles, and nerves entering by the superior orbital fissure.

See also

• Foramina of skull

External links

• SUNY Labs 29:os-0501
• Atlas of anatomy at UMich eye_6 - (look for #3)
• Anatomy at PSU skel/internal2 (look for #10)

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.