The ciliary body is a circular structure in the eye connected to the iris and located directly behind it. It produces a liquid with water inside the eye. It connects with the muscles that make the eye lens focus on nearby objects. This tissue ring is one of the three components that make up the uvea of the eye – the middle layer of the colored eye.
The other two parts are the iris (colored part of the eye) and choroid (the part of the eye that enlarges the retina). These two parts are connected together by the ciliary body.
Structurally, the ciliary body is a ring of tissue around the iris and connects it to the choroid. It cannot be seen by looking at the eye because it is located behind the iris and sclera, which is the white part of the eye.
There are three main functions: the living space, holding the lens in place, and producing fluid.
Each of these functions is important for the health of the eye – in fact, conditions such as ocular hypertension and glaucoma can occur when too much fluid is produced by the ciliary body.
The aqueous humor – which is constantly produced by the ciliary body – draws through a path called the trabecular meshwork at an angle where the iris and cornea meet.
There must be a balance between how much aqueous jokes are produced and how much light to maintain in order to maintain a healthy amount of pressure in the eye. This is known as intraocular pressure (IOP).
Ocular hypertension is a term used to describe a higher IOP than normal. This high pressure can lead to glaucoma – a term used to describe a set of related eye conditions that cause optic nerve damage and can lead to blindness if left untreated.
Typically, the first treatment used for glaucoma is eye drops, which are designed to help control eye strain by reducing the production of fluid by the ciliary body and/or increasing its output from the eye.
Some of the most common types of glaucoma treatments that affects:
Presbyopia is a common, age-related loss of eyes focused on nearby objects. It usually occurs sometime after 40 years.
Presbyopia occurs because
Fortunately, presbyopia can be treated with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or vision surgery. For some, reading over the counter is a simple presbyopia solution.
Problems related are with serious eye conditions such as glaucoma. Because there are no early warning signs of the disease, a thorough eye examination by an optometrist or ophthalmologist is the only way to prevent vision loss in glaucoma. If you have experienced symptoms of presbyopia, consult an eye specialist for an eye examination and discuss the best treatment option in the future.
The ciliary body is not the only part of the visual system that needs to be taken care of. Stay up to date with the latest eye tests to ensure complete eye and vision health, and do not hesitate to contact your optometrist for any additional vision problems you may have.
Reaching the ciliary muscles makes the lens round and increases the ability to concentrate. When loosened, the zonular fibers are enlarged to make the lens flat, which can accentuate an object far away from the retina. This is known as the accommodation reflex.
One function of the ciliary body is to control the lens of the eye. The ciliary body's smooth muscles contract and relax to focus on near or far away objects. Muscle contractions are partly responsible for the round shape of the eye's lenses since fine ligaments directly attach the lens to the ciliary body.