Vascular anatomy of the choroid in relation to selective localization of ocular disease.

THE choroidal coat of the eye consists of a dense continuous network of vessels and yet it is a striking feature of choroidal disease that the lesions often remain remarkably circumscribed. It is the purpose of this paper to review the problem of selective localization of pathological changes within the choroid in relation to its vascular anatomy, with particular reference to certain findings (Wybar, 1954) recently made during a study of Neoprene latex casts of the choroidal vessels of the human eye prepared by the intravascular injection technique of Ashton (1952). The cohesive and elastic properties of Neoprene permit dissection of individual vessels or capillary areas from the main vascular mass, and these can then be studied in detail using a wide-field stereoscopic microscope with direct illumination from a high-power low-voltage filament lamp. This technique represents a distinct advance on former dye injection methods, particularly in such a densely vascular tissue as the choroid.