A 22-year-old woman is admitted to the hospital with an injury to her eye. The corneal reflex is tested and found to be present. Which of the following nerves is responsible for the afferent limb of this reflex?
The afferent/sensory limb of the corneal (blink) reflex is carried by the nasociliary nerve. It is a branch of the ophthalmic division of the trigeminal nerve. The frontal and lacrimal nerves provide cutaneous supply to parts of the orbit and face, but they do not innervate the cornea. The facial nerve is the efferent limb of the corneal reflex and mediates the closing of both eyes in response to irritation of the cornea. The oculomotor nerve mediates the reopening of the eyes by contraction of the levator palpebrae superioris. The optic nerve also innervates the eye for the sense of vision and is the afferent limb of the pupillary light reflex.
Frontal
Lacrimal
Nasociliary
Oculomotor
Head & Neck