====== Extraocular Muscle ======

**Extraocular muscles** are the **six skeletal muscles** that control **eye movement** and one muscle that controls **eyelid elevation**. These muscles allow the eye to move in multiple directions with precision and speed.

===== List of Extraocular Muscles =====
  * **Medial rectus** – adducts the eye (moves it toward the nose)
  * **Lateral rectus** – abducts the eye (moves it away from the nose)
  * **Superior rectus** – elevates, adducts, and intorts the eye
  * **Inferior rectus** – depresses, adducts, and extorts the eye
  * **Superior oblique** – intorts, depresses, and abducts the eye
  * **Inferior oblique** – extorts, elevates, and abducts the eye
  * **Levator palpebrae superioris** – elevates the upper eyelid (not involved in eye movement)

===== Innervation =====
  * **Oculomotor nerve (CN III)**:
    * Superior division → superior rectus, levator palpebrae superioris
    * Inferior division → medial rectus, inferior rectus, inferior oblique
  * **Trochlear nerve (CN IV)**: superior oblique
  * **Abducens nerve (CN VI)**: lateral rectus

===== Function =====
These muscles coordinate to allow:
  * Horizontal gaze (medial + lateral rectus)
  * Vertical gaze (superior/inferior rectus and oblique synergy)
  * Torsional (rotational) movements of the eyeball
  * Binocular alignment and smooth pursuit of targets

===== Clinical Relevance =====
  * Lesions of the nerves innervating these muscles cause:
    * Diplopia (double vision)
    * Ophthalmoplegia (paralysis of eye movements)
    * Ptosis (drooping eyelid) if levator palpebrae superioris is affected

===== See Also =====
  * [[oculomotor_nerve]]
  * [[trochlear_nerve]]
  * [[abducens_nerve]]
  * [[cranial_nerve_palsies]]