Superior eyelid; Upper eyelid

The superior or upper eyelid is the most mobile and the larger eyelid. Its greater mobility is due to the action of the levator palpebrae superioris, which, as its name suggests, contributes to the retraction of the upper eyelid in conjunction with the superior tarsal muscle (the inferior eyelid is only contracted by the inferior tarsal muscle).

Within this eyelid, the fibers of the Levator palpebrae superioris form an insertion fascia that attaches between the fibers of the orbicularis oculi muscle and the superior tarsus, after crossing the orbital septum.

Near the anterior palpebral margin are the eyelashes, which are more numerous and longer than those of the inferior eyelid. In carnivores and pigs, eyelash are only present on the upper eyelid.