Vein: Central retinal vein
Veins of orbit. (Central retinal vein not labeled, but region is visible - the vein is inside the optic nerve.)
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]

[edit] 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.

[edit] References

[edit] Additional images

Interior of posterior half of bulb of left eye. The veins are darker in appearance than the arteries.

Eye vessels

v • d • e Veins (emissary, jugular and others) of head and neck (drainage patterns can vary) (TA A12.3.04-06, GA 7.644) External jugular Retromandibular maxillary (pterygoid plexus) · superficial temporal (anterior auricular) Direct posterior auricular transverse cervical · suprascapular · anterior jugular (jugular venous arch) Internal jugular Diploic/brain Cerebral Superficial cerebral veins: superior · superficial middle · inferior Deep cerebral veins: great · internal (basal, deep middle, superior thalamostriate) Cerebellar superior · inferior Sinuses To COS superior sagittal · straight (inferior sagittal) · occipital To CS sphenoparietal · intercavernous superior ophthalmic (ethmoidal, central retinal, nasofrontal, vorticose veins) · inferior ophthalmic To IJV sigmoid: transverse (petrosquamous) · superior petrosal inferior petrosal (basilar plexus, internal auditory veins) · condylar Facial/common facial frontal · supraorbital · angular · superior labial · inferior labial · deep facial Direct lingual (dorsal lingual, deep lingual, sublingual) · pharyngeal · superior thyroid (superior laryngeal) · middle thyroid Brachiocephalic Vertebral occipital (occipital emissary) · suboccipital venous plexus deep cervical Direct inferior thyroid (inferior laryngeal) · thymic

This cardiovascular system article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e

This eye article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v • d • e