Retina facts: Ten things you didn’t know
- You can get freckles under your retina, and these are known as choroidal naevi.
- Your retina is part neural tissue and like your brain cannot regenerate.
- The retina is made up of 10 layers each with a very specific function.
- Light passes through the nerve layer before being processed by the receptor cells located underneath.
- The retina has two blood supplies – one within the tissue and one underneath the tissue.
- The retina can tear in a very small area and lead to a large retinal detachment.
- The retina is about the size of a postage stamp.
- The retina has a cell layer that has the same pigment seen in skin cells known as melanin.
- 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.
- The retina can wrinkle like skin to form what is known as an epiretinal membrane.