Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Ciliary arteries
Introduction
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 as it crosses the optic nerve.
- The long posterior ciliary arteries, two in number, 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
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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.
Editor-In-Chief: Template:Infobox Artery C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]