In: Anatomy and Physiology
When a patient is looking directly to the right, which muscles are contacted in each eye?
There are six extraocular muscles in the eye - superior rectus, superior oblique, lateral rectus,medial rectus, inferior rectus and inferior oblique.
When a person look towards right, his right lateral rectus, right superior oblique and right inferior oblique will contract. In his left eyes, medial rectus, superior rectus and inferior rectus contract.
As right eye will move away from the nose or midline that is laterally but left eye will move towards the nose or midline,that is medially.
Muscles, their innervation and their action are as follows -
Lateral rectus - supplied by abducens nerve and moves eye laterally.
Medial rectus - it is supplied by oculomotor nerve and moves eye medially.
Inferior oblique - it is supplied by oculomotor nerve and moves eye inferiorly and laterally.
Superior oblique - it is supplied by trochlear nerve and moves eye superiorly and laterally.
Superior rectus - it is supplied by oculomotor nerve and is responsible for eye elevation.
Inferior rectus - it is supplied by oculomotor nerve and is responsible for depression of eye.