The ciliary body and the suspension of the lens in rabbits. A scanning electron microscopy study.

The ciliary body in rabbits is dominated by the ciliary processes, which number about 165. Most of them are straight, regularly spaced and uniformly shaped, and they have an even surface when seen at low magnification. They are separated by deep valleys with almost vertical sides. Anteriorly, the ciliary processes end abruptly, and about every second process leads into an iridial process which run radially along the posterior surface of the iris. At higher magnification, the individual cells can be seen to be demarcated by furrows, with a pattern which is specific for the different parts of the surfaces studied. The lens is suspended in innumerable zonular fibers, forming a rather thick mat. They attach in one continuous belt at the anterior end of the ciliary processes, and directly on the lens equator. The anatomy of this part the rabbit eye differs in many respects from that found in primates.