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sclera
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Cross-sectional medical illustration of an eye showing retinal detachment, with labeled parts including the vitreous body, retina, choroid, sclera, retinal break, and area of detached retina. 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. Side-by-side medical illustrations of an eye show retinal detachment on the left, with a retinal break and detached retina labeled, and a scleral buckle procedure on the right, where a band encircles the eye to repair the detachment. Key eye structures such as the sclera, choroid, retina, and eye muscles are labeled in both diagrams.
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sclera

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Cross-sectional medical illustration of an eye showing retinal detachment, with labeled parts including the vitreous body, retina, choroid, sclera, retinal break, and area of detached retina.
Retinal detachment.

The sclera is the dense, fibrous, opaque white outer coat that encloses the eyeball, except for the transparent part known as the cornea. It is essentially a continuation of the cornea, with collagen fibers from the cornea seamlessly extending into the sclera. The sclera's structure, with its irregularly sized and arranged collagen fibrils, contributes to its opacity, unlike the cornea's uniform and parallel arrangement which allows for transparency.12

Inflammation of the sclera is called scleritis, which is a more severe and often painful condition than episcleritis, a milder inflammation of the superficial layers just above the sclera. Scleritis can be associated with underlying systemic disorders like tuberculosis or rheumatoid arthritis, though its cause is frequently unknown. In severe cases, scleritis can threaten the eye's health and visual function.34

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4 Britannica Sources
  1. sclera
  2. scleritis
  3. human eye - The outermost coat
  4. eye disease - Inflammation of the sclera

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