The conjunctiva is a thin delicate mucous
membrane that covers the front of the eyes
and also lines the insides of the eyelids.
The form of the conjunctiva varies according to its
position - so it is best described in several parts:
-
The palpebral part of the conjunctiva is that area of it
which lines insides of the eyelids. This is relatively thick
and highly vascular (i.e. it contains many blood
vessels).
-
The folds formed where the conjunctiva folds from
the inner eye lids onto the front part of the eye are called the superior
palpebral fold (in the case of the upper eye-lid) and the
inferior palpebral fold (in the case of the lower
eye-lid).
-
Between these folds the conjunctiva folds the sclera
(also known as the sclerotic)
and the cornea.
In the area covering the sclera the conjunctiva is only loosly
connected to the eyeball (also referred to as the "globe"),
it loses the papillary structure (i.e. consisting of nipple-shaped
protruberances) that it had over the insides of the eye-lids, is transparent
and contains few blood vessels.
In the area covering the cornea the conjunctiva is thin, transparent,
and consists only of an epithelial layer called conjunctival
epithelium.
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