Retina

Browse atlas

The retina constitutes the inner layer (internal tunic) of the eyeball. Its function is to convert visual stimuli from the outside environment into neural impulses that are transmitted to the cerebral cortex via the optic nerve for interpretation and analysis.

The retina is composed of epithelial, glial, and neural cells that are organized into 10 distinctive layers. Out of these, the 1st layer constitutes the pigmented layer/retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE), which is responsible for the absorbtion of scattered light. The following 9 layers belong to the inner neural/neurosensory retina, one of which are the photoreceptors that are sensitive to light.

Examine each layer in the following image gallery:

Now that you have reviewed these illustrations, you can move on to a more advanced stage with the following histological sections of the retina.

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