Tunica vasculosa lentis explained

The tunica vasculosa lentis is an extensive capillary network, spreading over the posterior and lateral surfaces of the lens of the eye. It disappears normally shortly after birth, through apoptosis.^[1]

The structure was not studied properly and in detail until the 1960s, when new technologies developed to allow the preservation of the networks in fetuses.^[2] The scanning electron microscope finally enabled researchers to see the network even in very small laboratory animals such as the mouse embryo.^[3]

See also

• Comparative vertebrate anatomy
• Ophthalmology
• Persistent tunica vasculosa lentis

Notes and References

1. Regression of vessels in the tunica vasculosa lentis is initiated by coordinated endothelial apoptosis: A role for vascular endothelial growth factor as a survival factor for endothelium. Developmental Dynamics. 213. 3 . 322–333. Christopher A. . Mitchell. Werner . Risau. Hannes C.A. . Drexler. December 16, 1998. 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0177(199811)213:3<322::AID-AJA8>3.0.CO;2-E . 9825867 . November 25, 2024.
2. The structure of fetal hyaloid system and tunica vasculosa lentis. Firket. Mutlu. Irving H.. Leobard. Archives of Ophthalmology. 71. 1. 102–110. 1964. 10.1001/archopht.1964.00970010118019 . 14066026 . November 25, 2024.
3. Regression of the tunica vasculosa lentis in the postnatal rat.. Carole H . Latker. Toichiro . Kuwabara. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science . 21 . 5. 689–699. 1981. November 25, 2024.