Anatomy, Head and Neck, Eye Orbicularis Oculi Muscle

The orbicularis oculi muscle is a muscle located in the eyelids. It is a sphincter muscle arranged in concentric bands around the upper and lower eyelids. The main function of the orbicularis oculi muscle is to close the eyelids. This occurs when the muscle contracts. It also assists in the drainage of tears from the eyes. Whenever the orbicularis oculi muscle contracts, the tears are drawn from the tear film via the lacrimal pump system.[1][2][3]