Fovea
The fovea, a part of the eye, is a spot located in the center of the
macula region of the
retina.
The fovea is responsible for sharp central
vision, which is necessary in humans for reading, watching
television or movies, driving, and any activity where visual detail is of primary importance. The fovea is surrounded by the
parafovea belt, and the
perifovea outer region:scription
At the center of the fovea there is a pit with a diameter of about 0.2 mm, containing a high concentration of
cone cells and virtually no
rods.
Encyclopedia
The
fovea, a part of the eye, is a spot located in the center of the
macula region of the
retina.
The fovea is responsible for sharp central
vision, which is necessary in humans for reading, watching
television or movies, driving, and any activity where visual detail is of primary importance. The fovea is surrounded by the
parafovea belt, and the
perifovea outer region:scription
At the center of the fovea there is a pit with a diameter of about 0.2 mm, containing a high concentration of cone cells and virtually no rods.
The fovea only sees 4-8 degrees of the visual field.
Surrounding the foveal pit is the foveal rim, where the neurons displaced from the pit are located. This is the thickest part of the retina.
Since the fovea does not have rods, it is not sensitive to dim lights. Astronomers know this: in order to observe a dim star, they use peripheral vision, looking out of "the side of their eyes".
The fovea is covered in a yellow pigment called xanthophyll,e also
Notes
References
- "Webvision: Simple Anatomy of the Retina" , University of Utah, Webvision: The Organization of the Retina and Visual System, September 2005, Webvision.med.utah.edu webpage: .
External links
