pupillary membrane


pu·pil·lar·y mem·brane

remnants of the central portion of the anterior layer of the iris stroma (the iridopupillary lamina) that occludes the pupil in fetal life, and normally atrophies about the seventh month of gestation. Persistent strands usually stretch across the pupil from one iris collarette to the other, without touching the pupillary margin. Failure to regress is a rare cause of congenital blindness. Synonym(s): membrana pupillaris [TA], Wachendorf membrane (1)

pu·pil·la·ry mem·brane

(pyū'pi-lar-ē mem'brān) A membrane that develops from mesenchymal tissue posterior to the cornea; it occludes the pupil and usually atrophics during the seventh month of pregnancy.
Synonym(s): membrana pupillaris [TA] , Wachendorf membrane (1) .

Wachendorf,

Eberhard J., German botanist and anatomist, 1702-1758. Wachendorf membrane - the protoplasmic boundary of all cells that controls permeability and may serve other functions through surface specializations. Synonym(s): cell membrane; pupillary membrane