retina

retina — noun

1. the light-sensitive lining at the rear inner surface of the eyeball that capture

1.nounB2
Definition

the light-sensitive lining at the rear inner surface of the eyeball that captures light and changes it into nerve signals the brain reads as sight

Example

The retina of a healthy eye works like camera film in a dark room.

simile: retina + works like

Elena's eye exam showed that her retina had developed a small tear.

collocation: examine + retina

Common collocations
  • detached retina
  • damage the retina
  • retina specialist
  • image on the retina

Usage Note

Frequently used in medical contexts, often as the object of verbs like 'examine', 'damage', 'repair', or 'affect'.

Word family

  • retinal
    adjectiveB2
  • retinitis
    nounC2
  • retinopathy
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These three terms all refer to parts of the eye that are easy to confuse. The cornea is the clear outer layer at the front of the eye that helps focus incoming light. The lens sits behind the cornea and changes shape to adjust focus on near or far objects. The optic nerve is a bundle of nerve fibres that carries signals from the retina to the brain. While all three work together for vision, the retina is the light-sensitive layer where image formation begins — it is the only one that directly converts light into electrical signals. For example: 'The cornea and lens focus light onto the retina, and then the optic nerve sends the signal to the brain.'

cornealens ↗optic nerve

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • retina of the eye
  • image on the retina
  • damage to the retina

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'retina' comes directly from Latin 'retina', meaning 'net' or 'mesh'. The ancient anatomists who named it thought the network of blood vessels across the back of the eye looked like a fine net. It has been used in English since the 1300s as the medical term for this inner layer of the eye.