page_title: Ciliary ganglion
hierarchical_section_title: Ciliary ganglion
caption_attribution_description: Lateral eye and orbit anatomy with nerves
context_page_description: The ciliary ganglion is a bundle of nerve parasympathetic ganglion located just behind the eye in the posterior orbit. It is 1–2 mm in diameter and in humans contains approximately 2,500 neurons. The ganglion contains postganglionic parasympathetic neurons. These neurons supply the pupillary sphincter muscle, which constricts the pupil, and the ciliary muscle which contracts to make the lens more convex. Both of these muscles are involuntary since they are controlled by the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.
  The ciliary ganglion is one of four parasympathetic ganglia of the head. The others are the submandibular ganglion, pterygopalatine ganglion, and otic ganglion.
context_section_description: The ciliary ganglion is a bundle of nerve parasympathetic ganglion located just behind the eye in the posterior orbit.  It is 1–2 mm in diameter and in humans contains approximately 2,500 neurons. The ganglion contains postganglionic parasympathetic neurons. These neurons supply the pupillary sphincter muscle, which constricts the pupil, and the ciliary muscle which contracts to make the lens more convex. Both of these muscles are involuntary since they are controlled by the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.
  The ciliary ganglion is one of four parasympathetic ganglia of the head. The others are the submandibular ganglion, pterygopalatine ganglion, and otic ganglion.
caption: Detailed view of nerves of lateral orbit showing the ciliary ganglion immediately behind the globe of the eye.
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