Central retinal vein
| Vein: Central retinal vein | |
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| Veins of orbit. (Central retinal vein not labeled, but region is visible - the vein is inside the optic nerve.) | |
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| Diagram of the blood vessels of the eye, as seen in a horizontal section. (Central retinal vein not labeled, but region is visible. The central retinal vein is at bottom running away from the retina through the optic nerve.) | |
| Latin | Vena centralis retinae |
| Drains to | Superior ophthalmic vein, cavernous sinus |
| Artery | Central retinal artery |
| MeSH | Central+retinal+vein |
The central retinal vein (retinal vein) is a short vein that runs through the optic nerve and drains blood from the capillaries of the retina into the larger veins outside the eye. The anatomy of the veins of the orbit of the eye varies between individuals, and in some the central retinal vein drains into the superior ophthalmic vein, and in some it drains directly into the cavernous sinus.[1][2]
Pathology
The central retinal vein is the venous equivalent of the central retinal artery, and like that blood vessel can suffer from occlusion (central retinal vein occlusion), similar to that seen in ocular ischemic syndrome.
References
- ↑ Venous Anatomy of the Orbit Cheung and McNab. Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2003;44:988-995
- ↑ MeSH entry for central retinal vein - National Library of Medicine - Medical Subject Headings - 2007
Additional images
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Interior of posterior half of bulb of left eye. The veins are darker in appearance than the arteries.
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Eye vessels
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