Age-related changes in the human retina

This chapter discusses the morphological and functional organization of the human retina, choroid-retinal complex, neuronal cells of the retina, glial cells of the retina, and retinal vessels. The retina is the most internal of the three sheets that coat the posterior wall of the eye. This sheet extends from the optical nerve to the pupil-iris border, and it can be divided into an optical part, dedicated to the function of vision, and a blind part, in conjunction with the border of the pupil. The choroid is the intermediate layer of the three sheets of the posterior wall of the eye. The Bruch's membrane extends from the optic disk to the ora serrata. The basal side of the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) lies on a basement membrane that is uniform in thickness throughout the retina. Macroglia are cells that regulate the retinal metabolism and modulate neuron function and blood vessels. The ganglion cells and bipolar cells receive their blood supply from these arterioles and their capillaries, whereas photoreceptor elements receive nourishment from the underlying choroidal vascular bed.