Tarsus and Palpebral Ligament, Gross Anatomy

Description

Centered on the anterior skull, the orbit and eyelid region are presented with emphasis on the tarsus (tarsal plate) and the palpebral ligament components that tether the lids to the orbital rim. Medially, the medial palpebral ligament courses toward the anterior lacrimal crest and lacrimal sac fossa, while laterally the lateral palpebral ligament (lateral canthal tendon) anchors to the zygomatic bone at the lateral orbital tubercle. Within the orbit, the extraocular muscles are visible as they arise from the common tendinous ring and pass anteriorly toward the sclera, deep to the eyelids and their fascial planes. A critical landmark. Eyelid support is easy to hand-wave in teaching, but it is where lid position is won or lost in practice. The tarsus provides the dense connective tissue scaffold that stabilizes the lid margin and houses the tarsal glands, while the canthal tendons and associated retinacular fascia set the horizontal tension of the palpebral fissure. Surgeons repairing eyelid lacerations, correcting ectropion, or reconstructing the medial canthus after trauma must identify the medial and lateral canthal tendons and reattach them at the correct periosteal points, because even a few millimeters of misplacement shifts the punctum and disrupts tear drainage into the lacrimal sac. Ophthalmology and head and neck anatomy courses can pair this plate with surface anatomy of the canthi, lacrimal apparatus diagrams, and operative schematics for canthotomy, cantholysis, and canthoplasty. Medical publishers will also find it fits chapters on orbital fascial anatomy, eyelid retinaculum, and extraocular muscle relationships in male adult craniofacial models. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.