Details of the orbital connective tissue system in the adult.

The study of serial thick (60 mu) histological sections reveals a highly complicated but orderly constructed connective tissue system within the orbit. Between this system adipose tissue compartments are present built up in a comparable orderly fashion. In this intraorbital continuum, to which Tenon's capsule, the so-called check ligaments, the fascial sheaths of the muscles and the periorbital membrane belong, other different areas of characteristic connective tissue septa originating from the fascial sheaths of the eye muscles are recognizable. These different areas are linked to the presence of the different eye muscles and can be regarded as belonging to these eye muscles. That is why, in our opinion, this total of orbital connective tissue, together with the adipose tissue compartments lying in between, must be regarded as an additional mechanism playing an important role when eye movements are performed. The highly regular pattern and intra- and interindividual uniformity within this system will be clarified in the following paper, using models which specially highlight spatial architecture.