Elsevier

Survey of Ophthalmology

Volume 39, Issue 6, May–June 1995, Pages 451-484
Survey of Ophthalmology

Extraocular muscles: Basic and clinical aspects of structure and function*

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-6257(05)80055-4Get rights and content

Abstract

Although extraocular muscle is perhaps the least understood component of the oculomotor system, these muscles represent the most common site of surgical intervention in the treatment of strabismus and other ocular motility disorders. This review synthesizes information derived from both basic and clinical studies in order to develop a better understanding of how these muscles may respond to surgical or pharmacological interventions and in disease states. In addition, a detailed knowledge of the structural and functional properties of extraocular muscle, that would allow some degree of prediction of the adaptive responses of these muscles, is vital as a basis to guide the development of new treatments for eye movement disorders.

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    *

    Presented in part in a workshop at the Joint Meeting of the American Assciation for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus and the Internationa Strabismological Association, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, June 1994.

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