Retina facts: Ten things you didn’t know

retina facts
  1. You can get freckles under your retina, and these are known as choroidal naevi.
  2. Your retina is part neural tissue and like your brain cannot regenerate.
  3. The retina is made up of 10 layers each with a very specific function.
  4. Light passes through the nerve layer before being processed by the receptor cells located underneath.
  5. The retina has two blood supplies – one within the tissue and one underneath the tissue.
  6. The retina can tear in a very small area and lead to a large retinal detachment.
  7. The retina is about the size of a postage stamp.
  8. The retina has a cell layer that has the same pigment seen in skin cells known as melanin.
  9. The retinal image created by your eye is upside down and back to front. Your brain corrects this so you see the world the right way.
  10. The retina can wrinkle like skin to form what is known as an epiretinal membrane.