Uvea

Part of the eye, the uvea collectively refers to the iris, the choroid of the eye, and the ciliary body: {{}}The iris: The circular, colored curtain of the eye that surrounds the pupil. The choroid of the eye: The thin vascular middle layer of the eye that is situated between the sclera (the white of the eye) and the retina (the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, senses light, and creates impulses that travel through the optic nerve to the brain). The ciliary body: A body of tissue that connects the iris with the choroid and includes a group of muscles which act on the lens of the eye to change its shape. The word "uvea" comes from the Latin word "uva" for grape. Why a grape? Well, the idea was that, if the stem is removed from a grape, the hole looks like the pupil and the grape the eyeball.

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SYN: vascular layer of eyeball. [L. uva, grape]

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uvea 'yü-vē-ə n the middle layer of the eye consisting of the iris and ciliary body together with the choroid coat called also vascular tunic

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n.

the vascular pigmented layer of the eye, which lies beneath the outer layer (sclera). It consists of the choroid, ciliary body, and iris.

• uveal adj.

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(uґve-ə) tunica vasculosa bulbi. uveal adj