604 THE EYE 



The corium of the conjunctiva is thin. With the aid of a thin 

 layer of submucous areolar tissue it unites the epithelium to the 

 tarsus and to the fibres of the orbicularis muscle ; near the margin 

 of the lid its submucous tissue incloses the Meibomian glands. 

 Opposite the plane at which the blind ends of the Meibomian 

 glands are embedded in the free margin of the tarsus, the conjunc- 

 tival surface is thrown into eight to twelve horizontal folds, beneath 

 which, in the connective tissue, are a few minute tubulo-alveolar 

 glands, the posterior tar sal glands (glands of Waldeyer). Their 

 ducts open upon the free surface of the conjunctiva near the fornix 

 conjunctivae. 



At the attached base of the lid a narrow band of smooth muscle 

 extends from the levator palpebrae and inferior oblique muscles into 

 the body of the lid. These fibres have been described by II. Miil- 

 ler * as the superior and inferior palpebral muscle of the upper and 

 lower lid, respectively. 



The fold by which the palpebral conjunctiva is reflected upon 

 the globe of the eye to become continuous with the ocular portion 

 of the membrane is known as the fornix conjunctivae. The ex- 

 tremely loose attachment of the conjunctiva of the fornix to the 

 underlying connective tissue and intraorbital fat permits the great 

 freedom of motion which is characteristic of the ocular globe. 

 The small accessory lachrymal gland (gland of Krause) opens into 

 the margin of the fornix conjunctivae. In this region, also, occa- 

 sional goblet cells occur in the superficial layers of the epithelium. 



The ocular conjunctiva is likewise very loosely attached to the 

 sclera. The scleral portion of the conjunctiva is nearly identical 

 in structure with the palpebral portion already described. Near 

 the margin of the cornea the superficial cells of the epithelium 

 become at first spheroidal and then, as the cornea is approached, 

 they are progressively flattened, so that, just outside of the corneal 

 margin, the conjunctiva! epithelium conforms to the stratified 

 squamous type which forms the anterior epithelium of the cornea. 



THE LACHRYMAL GLAND. The lachrymal glands are two 

 flattened, lobulated, glandular masses situated at the upper and 

 outer angle of the orbit, one in relation with each eye. They 

 secrete a clear watery fluid, the tears. These glands are somewhat 

 moulded to conform to the shape of the orbit and the globe of the 

 eye, between which they are inserted. 



Each lachrymal gland is a secreting gland of the compound 



* Sitz. d. phys. med. Gesellsch., Wurzburg, 1858. 



