Objective To compare the retinal vessels and especially the retinal microvessels in laboratory animals commonly used in ophthalmology and provide a basis for correctly choosing the proper animal models for ophthalmological studies.Methods The normal eyeballs of rhesus monkey,pig,rabbit,dog,cat,rat,mouse and Guinea pig were taken and the retina was peeled off.The retinal vessels were prepared with ADPase staining,examined and analyzed.Reslts The retinal vessels of rhesus monkey went from the optic disc and distributed into four branches running in four quadrants and formed a connecting net.There were two layers at the equator,one layer at the peripheral part and well-developed macular capillary ring.The vessels of pig went also from the optic disc.There was also a retinal microvascular net but no macular capillary ring.Rabbit had obvious vessels only at both sides of the optic disc and not well-developed capillaries.The vessels of dog retina were circuitous and the capillaries did not form a net.The vessels in cat,rat and mouse retinae went radially into the peripheral.The vessels in cat retina formed three branches,the superior,nasal inferior and temporal inferior.The vessels of rat and mouse did not have apparent directions.All the cat,rat and mouse retinae had well-developed capillaries consisted of two layers which were dense even at the peripheral part.Guinea pig had no distinct retinal vessels.Conclusions\ All rhesus monkey,pig,cat,rat and mouse can be used for studying the retinal vessels especially the microvessels in humans.However,only rhesus monkey can be used to study the macular retinal microvessels.