retinal

¹ American  

[ret-n-uhl] / ˈrɛt n əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the retina of the eye.

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retinal ² American  

[ret-n-al, -awl] / ˈrɛt nˌæl, -ˌɔl /

Also retinene

noun

Biochemistry.

1. an orange pigment, C 2 0 H 2 8 O, that is the active component of rhodopsin and is liberated upon the absorption of light in the vision cycle; vitamin A aldehyde.

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Etymology

Origin of retinal¹

First recorded in 1830–40; retin(a) + -al ¹

Origin of retinal²

First recorded in 1940–45; retin(a) + -al ³

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retinal

It could be particularly important for people with advanced retinal degeneration who currently have no effective treatment options.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

"Instead of bypassing retinal processing, we aimed to reactivate it right at the same level of the retinal circuit as the lost photoreceptor cells."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

A few meters away, 60-year-old Jose Manuel Garcia, who is blind in one eye and undergoing treatment for retinal detachment to save the other, was seeking passage home to the city of Santiago de Cuba.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

That painting was especially poignant for its connection to Gitter’s work as a retinal surgeon in New Orleans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

In the central area of the ship there was a locked storage facility that required passwords and retinal scans to open.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner