The ciliary arteries are divisible into three groups, the long posterior, short posterior, and the anterior.
* The
short posterior ciliary arteries
The short posterior ciliary arteries, around twenty in number, arise from the medial posterior ciliary artery and lateral posterior ciliary artery, which are branches of the ophthalmic artery as it crosses the optic nerve.
Course and target
They p ...
from six to twelve in number, arise from the
ophthalmic artery
The ophthalmic artery (OA) is an artery of the head. It is the first branch of the internal carotid artery distal to the cavernous sinus. Branches of the ophthalmic artery supply all the structures in the orbit around the eye, as well as some s ...
as it crosses the
optic nerve
In neuroanatomy, the optic nerve, also known as the second cranial nerve, cranial nerve II, or simply CN II, is a paired cranial nerve that transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. In humans, the optic nerve is derived fro ...
.
* The
long posterior ciliary arteries
The long posterior ciliary arteries are arteries of the head arising, together with the other ciliary arteries, from the ophthalmic artery. There are two in each eye.
Course
They pierce the posterior part of the sclera at some little distance fr ...
, two for each eye, pierce the posterior part of the sclera at some little distance from the optic nerve.
* The
anterior ciliary arteries
The anterior ciliary arteries are seven small arteries in each eye-socket that supply the conjunctiva, sclera and the recti muscles. They are derived from the muscular branches of the ophthalmic artery.
Course
The anterior ciliary arteries are ...
are derived from the muscular branches of the ophthalmic artery.
Additional images
File:Gray514.png, The ophthalmic artery and its branches
File:Gray878.png, Iris, front view.
File:Gray880.png, The terminal portion of the optic nerve and its entrance into the eyeball, in horizontal section.
References
Arteries of the head and neck
{{Portal bar, Anatomy