Embryology of the eye

TL;DR

This paper reviews the embryological development of the human eye, highlighting the cellular and molecular processes involved and how their perturbations can lead to congenital ocular anomalies.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of eye embryogenesis, emphasizing the complex morphogenetic movements and germ layer interactions involved.

Findings

Eye formation begins in the fourth week of embryonic life.

Multiple germ layers contribute to eye development.

Disruptions in embryological processes can cause congenital eye anomalies.

Abstract

In order to better understand the mechanisms underlying the physiology of vision, it is a necessary prerequisite to know the embryological bases of eye development and associated tissues. Eye formation starts during the fourth week of human embryonic life, when the ocular primordium can be distinguished from the lateral diverticula of the anterior brain by complex morphogenetic movements. It requires the input of various germ layers of the embryo: neuroectoderm, surface ectoderm, mesoderm and neural crest cells, in order to elaborate the different components. Perturbations of the cellular interactions and molecular mechanisms mobilized during these critical steps are responsible for varied congenital anomalies. We will discuss, relative to this, the embryological processes where their misregulation are at the root of ocular malformations and which are developed in more detail in other chapters of this book.