Radial peripapillary capillaries of the retina. I. Anatomy: human and comparative.

DESCRIBED herein is a superficial layer of capillaries which occupies the peripapillary region of the retina in man and some animals. These vessels have received but scant attention in the past (Michaelson, 1954; Toussaint, Kuwabara, and Cogan, 1961; Franqois and Neetens, 1962), and then only in man. They may play an important role in some ocular disorders, and since their distribution and arrangement differ from that of the other capillaries of the retina they deserve a particular connotation. The most apt term for them would appear to be "radial peripapillary capillaries of the retina" (RPC) (Michaelson, 1954). This paper describes the RPC layer in man, rhesus monkey, cat, and pig.