Tags: Anatomical Structure.
The sclera (from the Greek skleros meaning hard) also known as the white of the eye is the opaque fibrous protective outer layer of the eye containing collagen and elastic fiber. In humans the whole sclera is white contrasting with the coloured iris but in other mammals the visible part of the sclera matches the colour of the iris so the white part does not normally show. In the development of the embryo the sclera is derived from the neural crest.
