Anatomy Of The Retina

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to the anatomy of the retina and the physiology of vision.

Photoreceptors

Cells in the retina that respond to light; they include rods and cones.

Rods

Photoreceptors that are sensitive to low light levels and are responsible for night vision.

Cones

Photoreceptors responsible for color vision and high acuity vision in bright light.

Bipolar cells

Neurons that transmit signals from photoreceptors to ganglion cells in the retina.

Ganglion cells

Neurons that receive input from bipolar cells and send visual information to the brain via the optic nerve.

Optic disc

The point in the retina where the optic nerve fibers exit the eye; also known as the blind spot.

Rhodopsin

The light-sensitive molecule in rods, composed of retinal and opsin.

Visual pigments

Substances in photoreceptors that absorb light, critical for vision.

cGMP

Cyclic guanosine monophosphate; a secondary messenger involved in the signaling pathway of photoreceptors.

Hyperpolarization

The change in electrical potential across a cell membrane that makes it more negative, occurring in photoreceptors in response to light.

Bleaching

The process by which rhodopsin changes shape when it absorbs light, leading to a decrease in the electrical signal in photoreceptors.

Depth perception

The ability to judge the distance of objects, achieved by comparing images from both eyes.

Visual cortex

The part of the brain responsible for processing visual information, located in the occipital lobe.

Chiasm

The point where optic nerves from both eyes cross, allowing for binocular vision.

Melanin granules

Pigment-containing structures in the retinal pigment epithelium that absorb excess light.

Connecting stalks

Components of photoreceptors that link the outer segment containing photopigments to the inner segment with organelles.