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Choroid: anatomy, location and function

The choroid is the vascular, pigmented layer of the eye between the retina and the sclera. It supplies oxygen and nutrients to the outer retina and its pigment absorbs scattered light.

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Structures

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Highlighted in the model: Choroid. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Choroid at a glance

What it is
The choroid is the vascular, pigmented layer of the eye between the retina and the sclera.
Location
It lies between the sclera and retina in the posterior part of the eye, continuous anteriorly with the ciliary body.
Function
It supplies oxygen and nutrients to the outer retina and its pigment absorbs scattered light.
Body system
Eye & ear · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA58300 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Part of the uvea with the iris and ciliary body.
  • Supplied by short posterior ciliary arteries.

Clinical relevance

Choroiditis is inflammation of the choroid.

Structures next to the choroid

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Choroid (FMA58300). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §14.1 Sensory Perception. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.