The Organization of Choroidal Arteries in Normal Eyes.

Objective: To determine the organization of normal human choroidal arteries using a combination of laser Doppler holography (LDH) and OCT. Design: Cross-sectional clinical study. Subjects: One hundred thirty-two eyes of 74 healthy subjects. Methods: By combining images from a prototypic LDH system and from OCT, we documented the 3-dimensional disposition of choroidal arteries from their emergence from ciliary arteries to precapillary arterioles. Main Outcome Measures: Distribution, diameters, and pathways of choroidal arteries. Results: A notable intereye variability in the disposition of arteries was found, in which dominant patterns were identified. A short ciliary artery emerging within 1000 μm from the fovea was identified in 63% of eyes, giving rise to a horizontal submacular artery (SMA; mean diameter 119.7 ± 24.9 μm) oriented temporally. The detection rate of an SMA was inversely correlated with choroidal thickness, that is, SMAs were more often identified in thinner choroids. Among cases with a detectable SMA, its diameter positively correlated with choroidal thickness ( Conclusions: Using a combination of LDH and OCT in healthy eyes, we identified recurrent organizational patterns of choroidal arteries in normal eyes, including SMAs, long posterior ciliary arteries, paraoptic arteries, and precapillary complexes. Characterizing the physiologic variants of the disposition of choroidal arteries helps to provide a reference framework that will enable the identification of disease-related changes. Financial Disclosures: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.