ANATOMY & HISTOLOGY OF CONJUNCTIVA BY RAIN HEALTH CARE

3.  IT is a translucent mucous membrane which lines the posterior surface of the
eyelids & anterior aspect of eyeball.
The normal conjunctiva is-
o pink
o Smooth
o Thin
o Transparent
There are normally large deep blood vesells that run vertically.

4. The conjunctiva helps lubricate the eye by producing mucus and tears, although a
smaller volume of tears than the lacrimal gland.
It also contributes to immune surveillance and helps to prevent the entrance of
microbes into the eye.

6.  It is richly vascular, extremely thin and strongly bounded to the tarsal plate.
 It is subdivided into 3 parts-
A. Marginal
B. Tarsal
C. orbital

7. o Extends from the lid margin to about 2 mm back of the lid upto the sulcus
subtarsalis.
o Actually a transitional zone between skin & the conjunctiva proper.
o Lacrimal puncta open in the marginal zone.

8. o Thin , transparent & highly vascular
o Firmly adherent to the whole tarsal plate in the upper lid and only to half width of
the tarsus in the lower lid.
o The tarsal glands are seen through it as yellow streaks.

9.  It lies loose between the tarsal plate & the fornix.
 Orbital margin of the upper eyelid is loose and lies over the muller’s muscle.

10. o It is transparent and lies loose over the underlying structures and thus can be
moved easily.
o It is separated from the anterior sclera by episcleral tissue & tenon’s capsule.
o The average thickness is 33 microns
o It is also known as ocular conjunctiva
o It is further of two types.- limbal, sclera

11. A 3mm ridge of bulbar conjunctiva around the cornea is called limbal conjunctiva.
Strongly adherent to sclero-corneal junction

12. COVERS the eyeball above the anterior sclera & hence known as scleral
conjunctiva.
Thin, transparent & loosely attached to underlying sclera
Separated from the sclera by episcleral vessels and tenon’s capsule.

13.  It is thin, transparent, continuous circular cui-de-sac
 It is broken only on the medial side by caruncle and the plica semilunaris.
 It joins the bulbar conjunctiva with the palpebral conjunctiva.
 It is further of four types-
1. Superior
2. Lateral
3. Medial
4. inferior

16. HISTOLOGY
OF
CONJUNCTIV

17.  Histologically cornea consists of 3 layers
1. Epithelium
2. Adenoid layer
3. Fibrous layer

18.  The layers of epithelial cells in the conjunctiva vary from region to region and its
different parts are
oMARGINAL CONJUNCTIVA:-
 have 5layers non-keratinised stratified squamous type of epithelium.
Superficial layer- squamous cells
Intermediate 3 layers- polyhedral cells.
Deepest layer- globlet cells.

19. oTARSAL CONJUNCTIVA-
Has 2 layers epithelium in the upper eyelid.
Superficial layer-cylindrical cells.
Deep layers- cubical cells
Lower tarsal conjunctiva is made of 3-4 layers of cells like the cubical, polygonal, elongated
wedge shaped and cone shaped cells.
oFORNIX & BULBAR CONJUCTIVA-
3 layered epithelium
Superficial layer-cylindrical cells
Middle layer- polyhedral cells
Deep layer- cuboidal cells

20. 8-10 LAYERS of stratified squamous epithelium
Most superficial 1-2 layers squamous cells.
Intermediate several layers-polygonal cells.
Basal layer- cylindrical or cubical cells.

21. a. Goblet cells
b. Melanocytes
c. Langerhans cells
d. Conjunctival associated lymphoid tissue.
e. Mucosal associated lymphoid tissue.

22. Also called as lymphoid layer
Consists of fine connective tissue reticulum in the meshes of which lie the
lymphocytes
Most developed in the fornices and ends at the subtarsal fold.
Develops after 2-3 months of life.

23. Consists of a meshwork of collagenous and elastic fibres.
Thicker than the adenoid layer
Except in the tarsal conjunctiva where it is very thin.
This layers consist vessels and nerves of the conjunctiva.
The adenoid layer & the fibrous layer are collectively called as substantia propia.