Sensory root of ciliary ganglion

Sensory fibers from the eyeball (the cornea, iris and ciliary body) run posteriorly through the short ciliary nerves and pass through the ciliary ganglion without forming synapses. They leave the ciliary ganglion in the sensory root of ciliary ganglion, which joins the nasociliary nerve.

The nasociliary nerve is a branch of the ophthalmic nerve, one of the three branches (V₁) of the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve is the main sensory nerve of the face.

Sensory fibers from other parts of the eye run through the long ciliary nerves and other peripheral branches of the ophthalmic nerve.

Variability

The exact distribution of sensory fibers, like the distribution of sympathetic fibers, is anatomically variable. There are alternate pathways to the eye for both sympathetic and sensory fibers, and the precise anatomy varies from person to person. Since the result is the same regardless of how the fibers reach the eye, the presence of sympathetic and sensory fibers in the ciliary ganglion (the contributions of the “sensory” and “sympathetic” roots) is of no functional significance.

External links

• http://anatomy.med.umich.edu/modules/head_autonomics_module/autonomics_05.html