Orbicularis oculi is one of the muscles of the eyelid. It is the primary sphincter muscle. It surrounds the orbit and extends out onto the temporal region and cheek. It consists of three parts which vary by location:
Broadly, they arise from the medial orbital margin and the lacrimal sac, extending laterally and concentrically around the orbit to insert into the lateral palpebral raphe.
It is innervated by the temporal and zygomatic branches of the facial nerve (CN VII).
Orbicularis oculi has several functions:
With time, the chronic action of orbicularis oculi produces permanent folds - wrinkles - in the lateral eyelid skin that are colloquially termed "crow's feet". These are the target of injected botulinum toxin therapy for cosmetic purposes.
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