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Optic Nerve Disease in Diabetes Mellitus

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Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

The vascular supply of the optic nerve depends on the stratum of the optic nerve head under consideration. The optic nerve head is divided into four strata – superficial nerve fiber layer, prelaminar layer, laminar layer, and retrolaminar layer. Fine retinal arterioles arising in the peripapillary retina and derived from the central retinal artery supply the superficial nerve fiber layer of the optic nerve; there is no posterior ciliary contribution. 1 The prelaminar and laminar optic nerve derive their blood supply primarily from the paraoptic short posterior ciliary arteries and the circumferential vessels of the circle of Zinn-Haller (Fig. 1).2–5 The circle of Zinn-Haller, where it exists, is an intermediary between the posterior ciliary arteries and the anterior optic nerve small vessels. 1,6 There may be smaller and inconsistent contributions from peripapillary choroidal arteries

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Browning, D.J. (2010). Optic Nerve Disease in Diabetes Mellitus. In: Browning, D. (eds) Diabetic Retinopathy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85900-2_13

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