NBEO Ocular Anatomy Posterior Segment (Post Seg) and Cranial Nerves Practice Test

Nourishment of the macula comes from the choroidal circulation to support the outer retina, including the photoreceptors under the fovea. The choriocapillaris, the innermost layer of the choroid, delivers this oxygen and nutrients, and it is supplied primarily by the short posterior ciliary arteries. Because the macula’s central retina is avascular in its inner layers, it relies on this choroidal blood supply rather than the retinal (inner retinal) circulation. The central retinal artery feeds the inner retina and does not supply the macula via the choroid, and the anterior choroidal artery is a cerebral vessel not a major ocular source. Thus, the macula receives its choroidal nourishment mainly from the short posterior ciliary arteries.