Retinal blood vessel

Retinal blood vessels are anatomical structures comprising arteries, veins, and capillaries that supply the retina with oxygen and nutrients. The inner layers of the retina receive their arterial supply from branches of the central retinal artery—a branch of the ophthalmic artery—which divides into superior/inferior temporal and nasal branches supplying distinct quadrants without overlap. The outer five layers are nourished by diffusion from choroidal vessels. Capillary networks exist in three main plexuses within different retinal layers. These vessels lack fenestrations but have tight junctions forming part of the blood-retina barrier essential for neural function. Abnormalities in these vessels are associated with diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive changes, vascular occlusions, and inflammatory conditions like retinal vasculitis. While they play critical roles in ocular health and disease pathogenesis—and serve as biomarkers for systemic diseases—they are not considered therapeutic targets themselves but rather anatomical substrates affected by various pathological processes.[1][2][4][6]

Other names

Retinal vasculatureVasa sanguinea retinaeRetinal vesselsRetinal arteries and veins