Local microvascular reactivity in the regulation of retinal blood flow

Abstract

Although a well-regulated blood supply is important for healthy neural function, the mechanism by which this occurs is still disputed; some studies charge this physiological response solely to the muscular arterioles, whilst others suggest capillaries are involved if not the principal co-ordinators. As this debate arises mostly from animal data, this thesis aims to determine whether the human inner retinal microvasculature, visualised in vivo using flood-illumination adaptive optics imaging, plays a role in modifying blood supply to meet metabolic demand.