The eye, a complex sensory organ, integrates the cornea, lens, and choroid to focus light onto retinal photoreceptor cells, converting light into electrical signals for visual interpretation. This intricate process is vital for human perception, enabling navigation, object recognition, and a rich visual experience. The circulatory system plays a crucial role in delivering nutrients, O2, and removing waste from cells, contributing to intraocular pressure regulation and maintaining eye structure. Photoreceptors, highly metabolically demanding cells, rely on retinal and choroidal vasculatures for O2 and nutrients. This chapter emphasizes structural and functional distinctions between retinal and choroidal vasculature, exploring their implications in the pathophysiological development of diverse retinal degenerative diseases.
Keywords: Autoregulation; Choroidal vasculature; Functional hyperemia; Retinal degenerative disease; Retinal vasculature.
© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.