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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• retinal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• retinae
  plural
• retinas
  plural

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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

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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 results revealed tiny lymphatic vessels in the choroid, a thin, blood vessel-rich layer located beneath the retina.

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

Epithelial tissues in adults are already known to remove dying cells in places including the retina, colon, airways and mammary gland.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026

That change triggers signaling within the retina in a way that resembles the normal visual process.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026

Evan’s watch caught the light and seared Dimple's retina.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

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

Binocular depth cues compare information represented in the two retinae because they do not see the visual field exactly the same.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

Because of this offset, visual stimuli do not fall on exactly the same spot on both retinae unless we are fixated directly on them and they fall on the fovea of each retina.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

In this case the intensity of light is the same for both retinae or symmetrical parts of the skin.

From Darwin and Modern Science by A. C. (Albert Charles) Seward

But the next morning he noticed flashing in his eyes alongside headaches and later discovered both of his retinas had been damaged.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

The new study found that in both mouse and human retinas, electrical synapses were connecting most of these separate information channels.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

People diagnosed with Alzheimer's had much higher levels of Chlamydia pneumoniae in both their retinas and brains compared to those with normal cognition.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 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

I saw a brief flash of red as the visor scanned my retinas.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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