Ciliary arteries

Branches of a major artery in the eye

The ciliary arteries are divisible into three groups, the long posterior, short posterior, and the anterior.

• The short posterior ciliary arteries from six to twelve in number, arise from the ophthalmic artery as it crosses the optic nerve.
• The long posterior ciliary arteries, two for each eye, pierce the posterior part of the sclera at some little distance from the optic nerve.
• The anterior ciliary arteries are derived from the muscular branches of the ophthalmic artery.

Additional images

• 
  The ophthalmic artery and its branches
• 
  Iris, front view.
• 
  The terminal portion of the optic nerve and its entrance into the eyeball, in horizontal section.

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 571 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)