To protect the eye from external damage.
To shield yourself in the event of a bear attack (just kidding.) You pull one arm back to protect it from damage, but at the same time you extend the opposite arm to help retain your balance. Also effective for fighting criminals.
The corneal reflex is a protective reflex involving the sensory branch of the trigeminal nerve (V) and the motor branch of the facial nerve (VII). When the cornea is touched, nerve impulses trigger a blinking reflex to protect the eye from potential damage.
The corneal reflex is a protective mechanism that helps prevent injury to the eye. When the cornea is touched or irritated, the reflex causes the eyelids to blink rapidly to help remove the irritant and protect the eye. This reflex is important for maintaining eye health and preventing damage to the cornea.
A. abdominal reflex B. Achilles jerk D. corneal reflex E. crossed extensor reflex F. gag reflex G. patellar reflex H. plantar reflex
It is the 7th cranial nerve (facial nerve).
both eyes
A reflex is an automatic response that only involves one part of an organism's body. Examples include the pupillary light reflex, patellar reflex and corneal reflex.
corneal reflex. It involves touching the cornea with a wisp of cotton, which should trigger a blinking response mediated by the trigeminal nerve, specifically the ophthalmic branch. This reflex assesses the sensory function of the trigeminal nerve in detecting sensations on the cornea.
The corneal reflex will not test for injuries to the facial nerve (cranial nerve VII) as it primarily assesses the integrity of the trigeminal nerve (cranial nerve V) and the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve.
The corneal reflex may be elicited by lightly touching the cornea with a wisp of cotton; this sensory stimulus is transmitted by the first branch of the trigeminal nerve to the brainstem. There, thanks to connections of the trigeminal nerve with the facial (motor) nerve, a motor response occurs leading to contraction of the orbicularis oculi. The result is blinking or closing the eye on the same side. Thus this reflex is a brainstem and not a cord-mediated reflex.
This is called the gagging or the coughing reflex
This particular reflex is autonomic as the affected muscle, constrictor pupillae muscle, is a smooth muscle and not under conscious control. Typically if you can consciously contract the muscle, any reflex associated with that muscle is somatic in nature.