The corner or angle where the upper and lower eyelids meet at the inner or outer edge of the eye.
From Greek 'kanthos,' a direct borrowing meaning corner or angle. This anatomical term has been used for over 2,000 years, with references appearing in ancient Greek medical writings like those of Hippocrates and Galen.
The canthus is so important to your eye's function that surgeons gave it a special Greek name—there's an inner canthus (near your nose) and an outer canthus (near your temples), and their shape actually varies dramatically between ethnicities! It's one of the first anatomical terms doctors learn.
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