Retina

What is the retina of the eye?

The retina is a layer of cells at the back of your eyeball that converts light into nerve signals. It then sends those signals along your optic nerve to your brain. Your brain processes those signals into your sense of vision.

What does the retina do?

Your retina senses light and sends signals to your brain. This happens because light-detecting cells called photoreceptors convert light into coded signals. Your brain receives those signals, decodes them and uses them to build the big-picture view you see with your sense of vision. That’s why retinal damage can change the way the world looks, leave gaps in your vision or cause total blindness.

Many conditions that can affect your retinas cause permanent damage and vision loss when not treated quickly. That’s why you should see your healthcare provider right away if your eyes or vision suddenly change.

Where is the retina located?

Your retina is at the back of your eye, behind your iris and lens. When the focus is just right, the light rays converge just as they land on your retina.

What are the parts of the retina?

Your retina has two main parts: your macula and your peripheral retina.

• Macula. The cones in your macula are essential for seeing colors and fine details. This vision allows you to do things like read, see faces and drive.
• Peripheral retina. Your peripheral retina allows you to see to the side when you’re looking straight ahead. The rods in your peripheral retina also help you see in low light.

What are the common conditions and disorders that affect the retina?

Many conditions that damage your eye can affect your retina. Retinal diseases include:

• Age-related macular degeneration.
• Diabetes-related retinopathy.
• Hypertensive retinopathy.
• Macular hole.
• Macular pucker.
• Ocular migraine.
• Posterior vitreous detachment.
• Retinal bleeding (hemorrhage).
• Retinal detachments and retinal tears.
• Retinal vein occlusion or retinal artery occlusion (eye stroke).
• Retinal inflammation (uveitis).
• Retinitis pigmentosa.
• Retinopathy of prematurity.
• Solar retinopathy.
• Eye cancers like retinoblastoma and benign tumors.
• Color blindness, including achromatopsia.

What are the signs or symptoms of problems with my retina?

Talk to your healthcare provider if you notice any symptoms in your eyes, including:

• Blurry or distorted vision.
• Peripheral vision loss (tunnel vision).
• Double vision (diplopia).
• Eye flashes (photopsias).
• Eye floaters (myodesopsias).
• Light sensitivity (photophobia).
• Blind spots (scotomas) or visual field defects.
• Your vision is getting noticeably worse.

What tests are done on the retina?

Your eye specialist will check your retina as part of your overall eye exam. Your specialist will dilate your eyes for parts of this exam. Some retina-specific parts of the eye exam include:

• Fundoscopy (ophthalmoscopy).
• Slit lamp exam.
• Fundus photography.
• Testing to see your fundus reflex (red reflex).
• Visual acuity testing.
• Visual field tests.

How do I take care of my retina?

Everyone needs to have their eyes examined regularly — at least every one to two years — whether or not you wear glasses or contacts. If you have certain chronic conditions that can affect your eyes, like diabetes, you need to see your eye care provider at least once a year. Your eye care specialist can recommend a schedule for regular eye exams if you need them more frequently.

There are several other precautions you can take to maintain and protect your eye health. They include:

• Reach and maintain a weight that’s healthy for you.
• Make proper nutrition a priority.
• Make sure you’re wearing proper eye protection for any sport or activity where there’s a risk of eye injury.
• Use sun protection like polarized sunglasses to limit light and ultraviolet (UV) effects.
• Protect your retinas from light sources bright enough to cause permanent harm, like welding flames, burning magnesium (found in road flares, fire-starting kits used for camping and many other industrial applications), etc.
• Don’t ignore vision changes, even gradual ones.

When should I see my healthcare provider?

See your healthcare provider as soon as you notice any changes in your vision. Whether it’s something as simple as needing new glasses or a more serious condition, don’t wait for symptoms to get worse before having your eyes checked.

Go to the emergency room if you have sudden vision loss or the sudden appearance of new vision changes or symptoms (sudden means they start or develop over minutes or a few hours).

These symptoms are possible with conditions that can quickly cause irreversible damage, leading to partial vision loss or blindness. You shouldn’t ignore them and should seek medical care right away.