ciliary musclenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈsɪl.i.ə.ri ˌmʌs.əl/us/ˈsɪl.i.er.i ˌmʌs.əl/specializedone of the muscles around the lens of the eye that can change the shape of the lens in order to produce a clear image
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
The eye & surrounding area
- aqueous humour
- beetle-browed
- compound eye
- epiretinal membrane
- eyeball
- eyelash
- eyelid
- fovea
- hooded
- infraorbital
- iris
- lacrimal
- lens
- lid
- oculomotor
- optic nerve
- stare
- suspensory ligament
- vitreous humour
- wink
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Examples from literature
- All around the edge, where the cornea, sclerotic, and choroid meet, is a ring of involuntary muscular fibers, forming the ciliary muscle.
- To flatten the lens, the ciliary muscle relaxes, the elastic force of the eyeball resumes its tension on the suspensory ligament, and the membranous capsule resumes its pressure on the sides of the lens.
- While the greater portion of the eyeball is concerned in the focusing of light, the crystalline lens, operated by the ciliary muscle, serves as the special instrument of accommodation.