Final answer:
The superior orbital fissure contains nerves and veins that control eye movements and provide forehead sensation, the common tendinous ring is linked to the optic foramen and is associated with extraocular muscles, and the inferior orbital fissure permits the passage of nerves and blood vessels supplying the orbit and face.
Step-by-step explanation:
The superior orbital fissure (SOF) is an elongated and irregularly shaped opening located at the superior margin of the anterior orbit, lateral to the optic canal and beneath the lesser wing of the sphenoid bone. Several important structures traverse the SOF, including the oculomotor nerve (CN III), trochlear nerve (CN IV), the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V1), abducens nerve (CN VI), and the superior ophthalmic vein. These are primarily nerves that innervate muscles which mediate eye movement and provide sensation to the forehead.
The common tendinous ring (CTR), also known as the annulus of Zinn, is connected to the optic foramen and serves as an origin point for the extraocular muscles. Structures that pass through the CTR, in addition to the aforementioned nerves in the SOF, include parts of the oculomotor nerve and abducens nerve that innervate the rectus muscles responsible for eye movements.
The inferior orbital fissure (IOF) is another pathway that lets through the maxillary branch of the trigeminal nerve (CN V2), the zygomatic nerve, and blood vessels that supply the orbit and adjacent facial structures. The IOF is located between the greater wing of the sphenoid and the maxilla.