The blood supply of the optic nerve.

The central retinal artery gives, throughout its length, branches, which, in 85% of the cases, supply the anterior segment of the optic nerve. These branches anastomose with collateral branches of the ophthalmic artery, vessels of the pia mater and recurrent branches of the Zinn-Haller circle. The contribute to form the peripheral, periaxial and axial vascular meshwork of the optic nerve. In this series no specific artery of the optic nerve was found, but in 45% of the cases there was an axial vascular meshwork.