Which of the following is NOT innervated by the superior division of CN III?

• A. Superior rectus
• B. Superior oblique
• C. Superior levator palpebrae
• D. Muller’s muscle via sympathetics traveling with the superior division of CN III

Answer: (B)

The main idea is how CN III splits in the orbit and what each division supplies. The superior division of the oculomotor nerve handles only two muscles: the superior rectus and the levator palpebrae superioris. The muscle that is not innervated by this division is the superior oblique, which is controlled by the trochlear nerve (CN IV). That’s why the correct choice is the superior oblique.

Müller’s muscle in the eyelid isn’t a target of CN III motor fibers; it receives sympathetic innervation. Those sympathetic fibers travel separately from the oculomotor nerve, not as a CN III motor division. The other two muscles listed—superior rectus and levator palpebrae superioris—are indeed innervated by the superior division of CN III.