conjunctiva /kon′jungktī″və/ [L, conjunctivus, connecting] , the mucous membrane lining the inner surfaces of the eyelids and anterior part of the sclera. The palpebral conjunctiva lines the inner surface of the eyelids and is thick, opaque, and highly vascular. The bulbar conjunctiva is loosely connected, thin, and transparent, covering the sclera of the anterior third of the eye. −conjunctival, adj.
