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Supra-orbital nerve: anatomy, location and function

The supra-orbital nerve is the larger terminal branch of the frontal nerve supplying the forehead and scalp. It is sensory to the upper eyelid, forehead, anterior scalp to the vertex and frontal sinus.

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Highlighted in the model: Supra-orbital nerve. 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.

Supra-orbital nerve at a glance

What it is
The supra-orbital nerve is the larger terminal branch of the frontal nerve supplying the forehead and scalp.
Location
It leaves the orbit through the supra-orbital notch or foramen and ascends over the forehead.
Function
It is sensory to the upper eyelid, forehead, anterior scalp to the vertex and frontal sinus.
Body system
Nervous · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA52657 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Branch of CN V1.
  • It runs forward between levator palpebrae superioris and the orbital roof before leaving the orbit with the supra-orbital artery.

Clinical relevance

It can be anaesthetised at the supra-orbital notch for forehead procedures.

Structures next to the supra-orbital nerve

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

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Supra-orbital nerve (FMA52657). 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.