Uveal vascular bed in health and disease: uveal vascular bed anatomy. Paper 1 of 2

Abstract

The uveal vascular bed is the largest vascular system in the eye and has a role in supplying almost every tissue in the eyeball. This makes it the most important ocular vascular system. This is an up-to-date review of the literature of the entire uveal vascular bed in health based on detailed anatomy of the posterior ciliary arteries (PCAs), anterior ciliary arteries, cilioretinal arteries, and vortex veins. Although postmortem injection cast preparations gave us useful information on the morphology of the choroidal vascular bed; in vivo studies showed that they misled us for centuries about the in vivo situation. According to the postmortem cast studies, the uveal vascular bed has no segmental distribution, the uveal vessels anastomose freely with one another, there are inter-arterial and arteriovenous anastomoses in the choroid, and the choriocapillaris form a freely communicating and an uninterrupted vascular bed in the entire choroid.

Aging in Ocular Blood Vessels: Molecular Insights and the Role of Oxidative Stress

“…Endothelial cells in the choriocapillaris lack tight junctions but possess multiple pores. Blood supply to the iris and ciliary body is derived from the long posterior ciliary artery and anterior ciliary artery, both branching from the ophthalmic artery-the initial branch of the internal carotid artery [36]. Venous drainage occurs through vortex veins and primarily through the anterior ciliary veins of the ciliary body [37].…”

A Novel Exploration of the Choroidal Vortex Vein System: Incidence and Characteristics of Posterior Vortex Veins in Healthy Eyes

“…The choroidal vascular system, as the largest and most significant vascular system in the eyes, plays a crucial role in supplying blood to both the outer retina and the anterior segment of the eyes. 1 , 2 The convergence of various veins from the choroidal vascular bed form several vortex veins, which exit the eyes through a scleral canal. The vortex vein system plays a crucial role in draining the high blood flow from the choroidal circulation, serving as an important pathway for choroidal drainage.…”