The Structures of the Retina
The retina is an incredibly complex structure. This entry will be about the larger structures involved in processing an image. To learn how an image is focused on the retina, check out anterior eye anatomy. If you want to learn about the individual cells of the retina, check out phototransduction (conversion of a light ray into a chemical message for the brain). For information on the utilization and regeneration of vitamin A in the retina, check out the biochemistry of the visual process. The goal of glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery is to get images focused on the fovea of the macula. The macula is the general pigmented area surrounding and supporting the fovea. The fovea is the specific structure that processes all of the detailed (letters, print) visual information we see. The fovea is a small structure, seen on examination only as a small pinpoint of light. In this small space, the fovea packs in over 100,000 cones (red and green cones only, no blue). Macular de