The Ciliary Body

Our eye is one of the most vital organs of our body. It is a sensory organ that helps us with perception and vision. The eye is made up of many small organs and components like the cornea, retina, ciliary bodies, lens, etc. All these parts work together in coordination to help us see things. The ciliary body is an important part of our eye. So much important that without the ciliary body, it would be quite impossible for us to see what is right in front of us. Let us study the functions of this ciliary body in detail.

The ciliary body is an essential part of our eye. The ciliary body circles the iris, that is, the coloured area and the lens of the eyeball. The body helps us to focus our eyes on things that are very close to us. This adjustment is called accommodation. Hence, without the ciliary body, we will not be able to see things that are too near to us.

The ciliary body is responsible for producing a clear fluid, known as aqueous humour. This fluid flows between the cornea and lens and provides fullness and shape to the iris. These bodies also provide nutrients to our eyes. 

Structure of ciliary body

The uvea of the eye is composed of the ciliary body, the iris and the choroid. The ciliary body is a disk-like tissue. It gets completely concealed behind the iris. The ciliary body is a muscle in the eye. The inner ciliary body is made up of smooth muscles. The contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscles is involuntary. That means you cannot control this contractional relaxation. The ciliary bodies react to the natural reflexes of environmental stimuli.

Next to the ciliary body is a group of blood vessels and capillaries that extend towards the eye surface. This part of the eye exchanges materials between the blood cells and tissues, known as the ciliary process.

Location of ciliary body

The ciliary body is located behind the iris in the middle of the inner wall of the eye. The ciliary body and lens are situated close together. The ciliary body forms a circle around the length and helps the lens maintain its shape. It also takes care of accommodation. 

At the back of the ciliary body, between the lens and retina, exists a watery fluid called the vitreous humour, which helps to keep the eye wet.

Functions of ciliary body

The ciliary body performs many important and essential functions for our sense of vision: 

• One of the most crucial functions performed by the ciliary bodies is controlling the lens of the eye.

• The ciliary body takes care of accommodation or changing the focus of the eye. Suppose you want to perceive objects that are too near or far away from you, then the ciliary muscles contract and relax to make that possible. This process is involuntary.

• The ciliary body forms a ring around the iris of the eye. Hence, the shape and structure of the iris are maintained with the help of the ciliary bodies.

• One part of the ciliary body is made up of small blood vessels and capillaries. They are responsible for exchanging blood between various tissues. They also provide nutrients to various components of the eye. 

• The capillaries of the ciliary body are also responsible for the secretion of a watery liquid called the aqueous humour.

• The aqueous humour maintains the fullness of the eye and also keeps the eye inflated and healthy.

• The pressure of the eye is also maintained by these capillaries, which are part of the ciliary body of the eye.

Ciliary body diseases 

Following are the diseases that are associated with the ciliary body:

1. Ciliary body melanoma: Melanoma is a type of rare tumour. It is a type of uveal tumour.
2. Uveitis: Uveitis is a type of inflammation of the eye. It affects the components of the uvea, such as the iris and the ciliary body. Uveitis can also lead to permanent loss of vision.
3. Hyphema: The front chamber of the eye gets pooled with blood, along with the iris and ciliary body. The vision gradually decreases in this disease.

Conclusion

The eye is an essential sensory organ that supports our vision. The eye is an intricate and complex structure made up of many small components that work in coordination to carry out the functions. The ciliary bodies are one such component of the eye. The ciliary bodies are completely concealed behind the iris and are shaped like a disk. It carries out important functions like adjusting the focus of the eye and maintaining the shape and size of the iris. Ciliary bodies secrete fluids that maintain the fullness of the eye.