retina

American  

[ret-n-uh, ret-nuh] / ˈrɛt n ə, ˈrɛt nə /

noun

Anatomy.

• retinas,
  plural
• retinae
  plural

1. the innermost coat of the posterior part of the eyeball that receives the image produced by the lens, is continuous with the optic nerve, and consists of several layers, one of which contains the rods and cones that are sensitive to light.

---

Trademark, Computers.

1. Retina, a brand name used by Apple, Inc., to describe display screens having a resolution so high that it is difficult to see individual pixels with the human eye.

   a Retina display; Retina technology; Retina quality.

retina British  

/ ˈrɛtɪnə /

noun

1. the light-sensitive membrane forming the inner lining of the posterior wall of the eyeball, composed largely of a specialized terminal expansion of the optic nerve. Images focused here by the lens of the eye are transmitted to the brain as nerve impulses

---

retina Scientific  

/ rĕt′n-ə /

• retinas
  plural

1. The light-sensitive membrane that lines the inside of the back of the eyeball and connects to the brain by the optic nerve. The retina of vertebrate animals contains rods and cones, specialized cells that absorb light.

---

retina Cultural  

1. The inner layer of the eye, sensitive to light, that is connected to the brain by the optic nerve. The retina lines the rear of the eye-ball. The lens of the eye focuses waves of light on the retina.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retinal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• retinae
  plural
• retinas
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of retina

1350–1400; Middle English ret ( h ) ina < Medieval Latin rētina, perhaps equivalent to Latin rēt- (stem of rēte ) net + -ina -ine ¹

---

Explanation

A retina is a light-sensitive part of an eyeball that sends nerve impulses to the brain so a picture of what the eye is seeing can be formed. Your retina lines the inside of your eye — it's a thin membrane filled with cells that are extremely sensitive to light. It's your retina that allows your brain to actually see what you're looking at, by sending messages through your optic nerve. In Latin, retina means "net-like layer," from the root word rete, or "net."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

retina retinae retinas

"The retina is responsible for vision and it's also where many of the most serious vision-loss diseases occur," said Dr. Yücel.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

The non-invasive technique uses reflected light to create high-resolution, cross-sectional images of biological tissues, particularly the retina and optic nerve, allowing doctors to detect and monitor disease.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

It plays a major role in vision by bending incoming light so it can be focused onto the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

The researchers describe the compounds as "molecular prostheses" because they allow the retina to respond to light again without implanted hardware or genetic modification.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

A patch of sky, frozen in a cloudy retina, reflected in a puddle on the ground.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

The researchers demonstrated axon regeneration in animal models and human cells taken from retinae donated by patients.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2024

The visual field is projected onto the two retinae, as described above, with sorting at the optic chiasm.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

For example, the visual pathway projects from the retinae through the thalamus to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

The axons that decussate in the chiasm are from the medial retinae of either eye, and therefore carry information from the peripheral visual field.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Where is the evidence that those with the most sensitive retinae were not the very ones who perceived, most perfectly, the spirit-hand?

From The Problems of Psychical Research Experiments and Theories in the Realm of the Supernormal by Hereward Carrington

The spacecraft also delivered equipment for manufacturing artificial retinas in microgravity, the condition of near weightlessness experienced aboard the space station.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Viewing the eclipse directly could cause the retinas - "the lining at the back of the eye that acts like a film in a camera" - to burn, he warned.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

For this study, the Yale team successfully used a dual patch clamp technique on fully intact mouse retinas.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

At an adaptive sports session early this year, the group made contact with Walt Raineri, a former paralympian in sailing with retitnitus pigmentosa — a hereditary disease that attacks the retinas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2025

The eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg are blue and gigantic--their retinas are one yard high.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---