Text S1 Biological Components and Processes in CNV

CNV involves the interaction of two fundamental structures, the retina with its supporting structures and the choriocapillaris. We briefly review the functional and structural properties of their components in the context of CNV. Retina, RPE, Bruch’s Membrane and CC The retina consists of two concentric regions, the inner retina and the outer retina proper (Figure 1). Beneath the outer retina proper lies the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a monolayer of pigmented epithelial cells situated between the photoreceptors and the choroid. The RPE plays numerous roles in maintenance of the retina. Beneath the RPE, Bruch’s membrane (BrM), a strong, multi-layered, 2-to-4-µm-thick porous membrane structurally stabilizes the RPE (Figure 1). The very dense choriocapillaris (or choroid) lies behind the outer retina, separated from it by BrM and the RPE. The inner retina, adjacent to the vitreous humor, includes the inner retinal vasculature and layers of neural cells. The outer retina, adjacent to the RPE, includes the rod and cone photoreceptors. Each rod or cone cell has three regions along its axis in the direction perpendicular to the retinal layers: the cell body, the photoreceptor outer segment (POS), which contains the light-absorbin