Sclera

Author: Sara Ferreira, MD • Reviewer: Dimitrios Mytilinaios, MD, PhD
Last reviewed: October 30, 2023
Reading time: 1 minute

The fibrous outer layer of the eye is made up of the cornea and sclera.

The sclera is the opaque white posterior part of this outer layer. It protects the inner eye contents and gives structural integrity to the eye.

The sclera is continuous anteriorly with the cornea and posteriorly with the dural sheath of the optic nerve.

Terminology	English and Latin: Sclera
Location and function	Posterior part of the fibrous outer layer of the eye, protects the eye

Learn everything about the anatomy of the eyeball with the following study unit!

Sources

All content published on Kenhub is reviewed by medical and anatomy experts. The information we provide is grounded on academic literature and peer-reviewed research. Kenhub does not provide medical advice. You can learn more about our content creation and review standards by reading our content quality guidelines.

Drake RL, Vogl AW, Mitchell WMA. Gray’s anatomy for students. 4th ed. 2020.

Moore, K. L., Dalley, A. F., & Agur, A. (2017). Clinically oriented anatomy (8th ed.). Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

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Sclera

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