What is the retina?

The eye is often compared to a camera because it works the same way. In a camera, light enters through the lens and focuses on the film that is on the inside of the camera.

The retina is a layer of nerve cells that sense light. The retina lines the inside of the eye like wallpaper. When the eye sees an image, light from that image is focused through the lens and the image is formed on the retina. The cells of the retina then communicate the picture to the brain by sending signals through a nerve that exits from the back wall of the eye and connects to the parts of the brain responsible for vision.

The retina is nurtured by normal blood vessels that run within the retina and in the layers of the eye wall underneath the retina. The retina is very delicate, and when it is damaged or scarred, it cannot repair itself.

As in a camera, every part of the eye is important for vision. Good vision depends on a clear cornea, lens, and vitreous as well as a healthy retina and optic nerve.