Orbital veins

Looks like

The veins inside the eye socket, mainly the superior and inferior ophthalmic veins, running among the eye muscles and fat.

What it does

Drain the eye, eyelids and socket back into the cavernous sinus and forward into the face.

Keeping it well

Infection around the eye can spread along them. A swollen red eyelid with painful eye movement or fever needs urgent care.

Its parts

• Inferior ophthalmic vein
• Superior ophthalmic vein

Related conditions

• Chronic venous insufficiency
• Clotting disorders (thrombophilia & APS)
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Varicose veins