Microfibril-microvessel connections in the uvea and optic nerve of the mammalian eye

Light- and electron-microscopic examination of arterioles, venules and capillaries of the eyes of several mammalian species has shown that the microfibrils of ocular elastic tissue attach to microvascular basement membranes throughout the uvea (iris, ciliary body, choroid) and optic nerve. Although described sporadically in prior investigations, this report shows that the connections are a common feature of the mammalian eye. The connections appear most numerous at venules and capillaries and are sparse at arterioles. The connections may provide a mechanism by which perivascular elastic tissue influences microvascular function, e.g. the control of blood pressure in them or their response to changes in intraocular pressure.