Quick Facts
Origin: Frontal nerve.
Course: Runs from the middle of the orbit along the superior surface of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle, through the supraorbital foramen, and up the forehead.
Branches: Medial and lateral branches.
Supply: Conveys sensory innervation from the forehead, frontal sinus, skin of the upper eyelid, and conjunctiva.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The supraorbital nerve is a branch of the frontal nerve that originates midway through the orbit.
Course
The supraorbital nerve runs along the superior surface of the levator palpebrae superioris muscle to the anterior portion of the orbit. It passes through the supraorbital foramen or supraorbital notch to exit the orbit.
Branches
The supraorbital nerve bifurcates either just before or just after passing through the supraorbital foramen to form the medial and lateral branches of the supraorbital nerve.
Supplied Structures
The supraorbital nerve is a sensory nerve that conveys general sensation from the skin of the forehead, frontal sinus, skin of the upper eyelid, and conjunctiva of the upper eyelid and eyeball.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Supraorbital Nerve
The supraorbital nerve exits the frontal bone through the supraorbital foramen and provides sensation to the superior aspects of the eye and the forehead and, extending posteriorly, provides cutaneous coverage to a large portion of the scalp.
