[The ophthalmologist as a consultant. Physiologic principles of ocular circulation]

The author reviews some physiologic aspects of the general, the cerebral and the ocular circulation. The latter two basically behave in the same manner in that over a wide range of systemic blood pressure they maintain a constant perfusion pressure. Furthermore there are very few substances which really influence their vessel diameter and, most important, there exist almost no pressure-fluctuations. The author discusses the differences and similarities of the three vascular systems and draws some conclusions with regard to the treatment of AION and glaucoma.