What is the retina?

The retina is an extremely thin tissue that lines the inside of the back of the eye. When we look
around, light from the objects we are trying to see enters the eye. The light image is focused onto
the retina by both the cornea and the lens. This light striking the retina causes a complex
biochemical change within layers of the retina and this, in turn, stimulates an electrical response in
other layers of the retina. Nerve endings within the retina transmit these electrical signals to the brain
through the optic nerve. Within specific areas of the brain, this electrical energy is processed to allow
us both to see and to understand what we are seeing. The retina has been compared to the film of a
camera. However, once used, film has a permanent image on it. The retina continually renews itself
chemically and electrically, allowing us to see millions of different images every day without them
being superimposed.
The retina is about the size of a postage stamp. It consists of a central area called the macula and a
much larger peripheral area of the retina. The light receptor cells within the retina are of two types,
called the rods and the cones. Rods allow us to see in conditions of reduced illumination. Cones
provide us with sharpness of vision and color vision. The peripheral retina allows us to see objects
on either side (peripheral vision) and, therefore, provides the vision needed for a person to move
about safely. Since this part of the retina contains a lesser concentration of cones, it does not allow
for perception of visual detail. Its larger concentration of rods provides better vision during conditions
of darkness.
In contrast, the macula is a smaller, central area of the retina that contains a high concentration of
cones. Accordingly, it enables clear central vision to see fine details for such activities as reading or
threading a needle. The macula is particularly sensitive to circulatory changes, especially those that
occur with aging, such as decreased blood flow. The retina contains a network of branching arteries,
which supplies blood that carries the needed oxygen and nutrients to the retina, and a network of
accompanying veins, which then carry the blood away together with the waste products of retinal
metabolism.