MuscleExtraocular muscles
Superior oblique
Latin: M. obliquus superior
Location: Head
View the superior oblique in 3DOrigin
Sphenoid bone superomedial to the optic canal.
Insertion
Sclera beneath the superior rectus, passing through the trochlea pulley.
Action
Depresses, abducts and intorts the eye — the head-tilt muscle of the Bielschowsky test.
Nerve supply
Trochlear nerve (CN IV) — the longest, thinnest cranial nerve.
Blood supply
Ophthalmic artery.
Clinical relevance
CN IV palsy causes vertical diplopia worst on descending stairs; children with it tilt their head to compensate.
Educational anatomy reference, not medical advice. About this content.