Definition

1. Noun:
   • A cranial nerve: The oculomotor nerve is the third cranial nerve (CN III). It is a motor nerve that controls most of the eye's movements and certain pupil functions.
   • Function: It primarily supplies motor input to the majority of the muscles that move the eyeball (extrinsic eye muscles) and also controls pupil constriction and lens accommodation.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Damage to the oculomotor nerve can cause ptosis, or drooping of the eyelid.
  • The surgeon carefully avoided the oculomotor nerve during the procedure.
  • The oculomotor nerve emerges from the midbrain.

Advanced Usage

• Clinical context: In medicine, "oculomotor nerve palsy" is a condition where the nerve is impaired, leading to double vision, a dilated pupil, and an eye that is turned down and out.
  • The patient was diagnosed with an oculomotor nerve palsy following the head injury.

Variants and Related Words

• Oculomotor (adjective): Pertaining to the oculomotor nerve or eye movements.
  • The oculomotor nucleus is located in the midbrain.
• Cranial nerve III: A synonymous term for the oculomotor nerve.
• Third nerve: A common clinical shorthand for the oculomotor nerve.

Synonyms

• Third cranial nerve
• CN III
• Motor nerve of the eye (descriptive synonym)

Related Phrases

• Oculomotor nerve dysfunction: A general term for impaired function of the nerve.
• Oculomotor nerve pathway: Refers to the anatomical course of the nerve from the brainstem to the eye muscles.

Noun

1. supplies extrinsic muscles of the eye