: the dense fibrous opaque white outer coat enclosing the eyeball except the part covered by the cornea see eye illustration
scleral adjective

Examples of sclera in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Seeing sclera on the face of another person, Hare says, is one way babies who are just a few months old identify another living creature as being human. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 17 Sep. 2024 The surgeon gets access to the muscles by placing small incisions in the conjunctiva, which is the thin clear covering over the sclera (the white part of the eye). Troy Bedinghaus, Od, Verywell Health, 1 June 2024 Or, the light may be powerful enough to have effects on the blood flow to the back of the eye, or the sclera (the white part of the eye). Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 2 Feb. 2024 The sclera and conjunctiva (the thin, clear membrane that protects your sclera) may also develop a gray or yellowish tint largely due to UV damage (although smoking can also cause discoloration of the eyeballs). Didi Gluck, Allure, 5 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for sclera 

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek sklēros

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sclera was in 1888

Dictionary Entries Near sclera

Cite this Entry

“Sclera.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sclera. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

sclera

noun
: the dense fibrous white or bluish white tissue that forms the outer covering of the back five-sixths of the eye and is replaced in front by the transparent cornea with which it is continuous

Medical Definition

sclera

noun
: the dense fibrous opaque white outer coat enclosing the eyeball except the part covered by the cornea

called also sclerotic, sclerotic coat

More from Merriam-Webster on sclera

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