Sensory retina: Fovea

The fovea is a small depression in the retina that lies at the center of a larger, oval-shaped area called the macula lutea.  The fovea is on the visual axis of the eye and, thus, provides the area of highest visual acuity or resolution in the retina.  200x

At the fovea, bipolar and ganglion cells and their processes are shifted peripherally, leaving only cones at the central area, the foveola. This displacement allows for an unimpeded light path to the foveola.  The foveola perceives less than one degree of arc over the entire visual field and, thus, minute movements of the eyeball (saccades) are necessary to maintain this foveal resolution on objects of interest.

At the fovea, bipolar and ganglion cells and their processes are shifted peripherally, leaving only cones at the central area, the foveola. This displacement allows for an unimpeded light path to the foveola.  The foveola perceives less than one degree of arc over the entire visual field and, thus, minute movements of the eyeball (saccades) are necessary to maintain this foveal resolution on objects of interest.

At the fovea, bipolar and ganglion cells and their processes are shifted peripherally, leaving only cones at the central area, the foveola. This displacement allows for an unimpeded light path to the foveola.  The foveola perceives less than one degree of arc over the entire visual field and, thus, minute movements of the eyeball (saccades) are necessary to maintain this foveal resolution on objects of interest.

At the fovea, bipolar and ganglion cells and their processes are shifted peripherally, leaving only cones at the central area, the foveola. This displacement allows for an unimpeded light path to the foveola.  The foveola perceives less than one degree of arc over the entire visual field and, thus, minute movements of the eyeball (saccades) are necessary to maintain this foveal resolution on objects of interest.

Image taken of a slide from the University of Michigan collection.