Lacrimal Bone Anatomical Structure

Description

Rendered in lateral view, the female skull and upper cervical spine are presented with the orbit opened in profile and the lacrimal bone highlighted along the anterior medial orbital wall. The lacrimal sits posterior to the frontal process of the maxilla and anterior to the ethmoid (lamina papyracea), forming a thin plate just medial to the orbital rim and anterior to the orbital apex. Along its orbital surface, the posterior lacrimal crest and adjacent lacrimal groove define the bony fossa for the lacrimal sac, which continues inferiorly into the nasolacrimal canal toward the inferior nasal meatus. Small bone, big landmark. The lacrimal bone matters because it brackets the outflow pathway for tears from the lacrimal puncta through the canaliculi into the lacrimal sac and down the nasolacrimal duct, a route implicated in congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction, adult acquired obstruction, and dacryocystitis. Its relationship to the maxilla and ethmoid also frames medial orbital wall trauma, where blowout fractures can violate the lacrimal fossa or the adjacent lamina papyracea and complicate lacrimal drainage or endoscopic access. Surgeons planning dacryocystorhinostomy rely on these bony contours to localize the sac and to avoid unnecessary disruption of the medial canthal tendon region. Use this asset for gross anatomy lab materials on the orbit, paranasal region, and nasolacrimal drainage, where students often struggle to place the lacrimal bone in context among the maxilla, frontal bone, and ethmoid. It also fits ophthalmology and ENT teaching decks illustrating evaluation of epiphora, procedural planning for DCR, and the bony anatomy relevant to medial orbital wall fractures on CT correlation. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.