Eye Structure and Terms

Eye Structure and Terms

Choroid: The vascular coat of the eye which supplies the photoreceptors (the visual cells) with oxygen and nutrients.

Retina: A multi-layered group of cells that converts light stimuli into electrical signals that are sent to the brain to make images.

Fovea: The central part of the retina that is responsible for the very best vision.

Macula: The region of the retina including and surrounding the fovea that is responsible for sharp vision that is required for reading and driving.

Optic Nerve: The collection of nerve fibers that carries impulses from the retina to the brain. Sclera The tough outer coat of the eye that protects the delicate inner structures.

Subretinal Hemorrhage: A collection of blood underneath the retina usually due to bleeding from abnormal blood vessels.

Atrophy: Death, degeneration.

Drusen: A collection of yellow material under the retina and the pigment epithelium.