Ask a doctor - What is the retina's function?

Q. What is the retina's function?

Doctor Answer is medically reviewed by SecondMedic medical review team.

Answered by Secondmedic Expert

The retina is an incredibly important and complex structure located at the back of your eye. It functions as a sort of “sensor” that collects light, converting those photons into electrical signals which are then transferred to the brain via the optic nerve. This process allows us to see and interpret our environment.

The retina is made up of several layers, each with its own specialized role in vision processing:
• The outermost layer contains many rods and cones – these are photoreceptors that capture light and convert it into electrical signals.
• The inner nuclear layer is composed of neurons which help process visual information before sending it off to other neurons in the brain.
• The ganglion cell layer receives information from neurons in the inner nuclear layer and packages them into nerve impulses for transmission through the optic nerve to areas in the brain like V1 (also known as "primary visual cortex").
• Finally, there's also a thin protective pigmented epithelium on top of all this, shielding underlying structures from external damage or infection.

Altogether, this sophisticated network helps us perceive color, contrast, form/shape recognition & movement detection - allowing us experience our surroundings in vivid detail!