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Ciliary ganglion: anatomy, location and function

The ciliary ganglion is a small parasympathetic ganglion in the orbit that supplies the intrinsic muscles of the eye. Preganglionic parasympathetic fibres from the Edinger-Westphal nucleus synapse here, and postganglionic fibres run in the short ciliary nerves to the ciliary muscle (accommodation) and the sphincter pupillae (pupil constriction).

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Highlighted in the model: Ciliary ganglion. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Ciliary ganglion at a glance

What it is
The ciliary ganglion is a small parasympathetic ganglion in the orbit that supplies the intrinsic muscles of the eye.
Location
It lies in the posterior orbit, between the optic nerve and the lateral rectus muscle, about 1 cm in front of the superior orbital fissure.
Function
Preganglionic parasympathetic fibres from the Edinger-Westphal nucleus synapse here, and postganglionic fibres run in the short ciliary nerves to the ciliary muscle (accommodation) and the sphincter pupillae (pupil constriction).
Body system
Nervous · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA53550 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Receives preganglionic fibres via the nerve to the inferior oblique, a branch of the oculomotor nerve.
  • Sensory fibres (from nasociliary) and sympathetic fibres pass through without synapsing.

Clinical relevance

Damage to the parasympathetic pathway causes a dilated pupil and loss of accommodation.

Structures next to the ciliary ganglion

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Ciliary ganglion (FMA53550). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §12.1 Basic Structure and Function of the Nervous System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.