Muscle · Head
Orbicularis oculi
Musculus orbicularis oculi
Reviewed by Dr. Ryan Rietz, D.P.T. and Dr. John Breyman, D.C.
The ring of muscle that encircles the eye and closes it. It works in two gears: a fine inner part in the eyelids that blinks and spreads tears across the eye without you noticing, and a broader outer part over the orbital rim that screws the eye shut and pulls the eyebrow down. It is also a small pump for tear drainage, which is why weakness of this muscle causes a watering, exposed eye rather than simply a droopy lid.
Also known as
- eye sphincter
- eyelid muscle
- blinking muscle
- eye ring muscle