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rectus muscle
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Diagram of a horizontal section of the human eye showing labeled parts including the cornea, iris, lens, retina, sclera, optic nerve, and blood vessels, with internal structures and muscles visible. Figure 1: General structure of the mammalian eye. An anatomical illustration of the right eye shows the eyeball and surrounding bones with labeled muscles, including the superior, inferior, medial, and lateral rectus, superior and inferior oblique, levator palpebrae superioris, and the trochlea.
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rectus muscle

anatomy
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Diagram of a horizontal section of the human eye showing labeled parts including the cornea, iris, lens, retina, sclera, optic nerve, and blood vessels, with internal structures and muscles visible.
cross section of the human eye A horizontal cross section of the human eye, showing the major parts of the eye, including the protective covering of the cornea over the front of the eye.

The term "rectus muscle" can refer to two distinct muscles in human anatomy: the rectus abdominis and the rectus muscles of the eye.

The rectus abdominis is one of the abdominal muscles, located at the front of the abdominal cavity. It runs vertically from the pubis to the ribs and works with other abdominal muscles to support the viscera, aid in movement, and assist in expulsive efforts like urination and defecation.1

The rectus muscles of the eye are four of the six extraocular muscles that control eye movement. These are the superior, inferior, medial, and lateral recti. They originate from a fibrous ring around the optic nerve and attach to the eyeball, directing gaze up, down, and side-to-side, and also contributing to the rolling motion of the eye.2

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. abdominal muscle
  2. human eye - Extraocular muscles

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