Left lateral rectus

Looks like

A strap muscle on the outer side of the eyeball, from the tendon ring at the back of the orbit to the outer front of the eye.

What it does

Turns the eye outward, away from the nose.

Keeping it well

Powered by the abducens nerve. New double vision looking sideways can signal raised pressure in the skull and needs urgent review.

Related conditions

• Blepharitis & styes
• Botulism
• Cataract
• Conjunctivitis
• Fibromyalgia
• Frailty & falls in older age
• Heat exhaustion & heatstroke
• Hyperthyroidism & Graves' disease
• Keratitis (corneal infection and ulcer)
• Keratoconus
• Malnutrition & refeeding syndrome
• Muscular dystrophy
• Myasthenia gravis
• Polymyalgia rheumatica
• Presbyopia
• Retinal detachment
• Retinoblastoma
• Rhabdomyolysis
• Sarcoma
• Sarcopenia
• Sjögren's disease
• Squint & lazy eye
• Tetanus
• Uveitis & iritis