Abstract
The main posterior watershed zone of the choroid is located between the nasal edge of the optic disc and the fovea and represents the area situated between the territories supplied by the temporal and nasal posterior ciliary arteries. In the fluorescein angiographies of 800 normal subjects a watershed zone was not observed in 33.1% due to technical reasons and in 22.3% due to the simultaneous filling of the peripapillar and macular choriocapillaris. In the remaining 44.6% the watershed zone was well outlined: it was straddling the optic disc in about half of these cases and involved the temporal half of the optic disc and the close choroid in the other half. Very rarely the watershed zone involved the nasal half of the optic disc or the papillo-macular area. The position of the watershed zone could be important to explain the visual field defect in anterior ischemic optic neuropathy and glaucoma.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hayreh SS. Physiological anatomy of the choroidal vascular bed. Int Ophthalmol 1983; 6: 85–93.
Hayreh SS. Inter-individual variation in blood supply of the optic nerve head. Doc Ophthalmol 1985; 59: 217–46.
Hayreh SS. Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. Berlin: Springer, 1975.
Gaudric A, Coscas G, Bird AC. Choroidal ischemia. Am J Ophthalmol 1982; 94: 489–98.
Blumenthal M, Gitter KA, Best M, Galin MA. Fluorescein angiography during induced ocular hypertension in man. Am J Ophthalmol 1970; 69: 39–43.
Archer DB, Ernest JT, Krill AE. Retinal, choroidal, and papillary circulations under conditions of induced ocular hypertension. Am J Ophthalmol 1972; 73: 834–45.
Giuffrè G. Choroidal filling pattern during a hypotensive crisis. Greafe Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 1987; 225: 154–5.
Shimizu K, Yokochi K, Okano T. Fluorescein angiography of the choroid. Jpn J Ophthalmol 1974; 18: 97–108.
Hayreh SS. The ophthalmic artery. III. Branches. Br J Ophthalmol 1962; 46: 212–47.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Giuffè, G. Main posterior watershed zone of the choroid. Doc Ophthalmol 72, 175–180 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156707
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156707