The retinal macula is the area most important for the view, one that allows us to discriminate images clearly the nervous structure and is responsible for’visual acuity. As in the whole retina also in this seat are present photoreceptors (specialized nerve cells in the perception of light), said cones, essential for sharp vision and color and are about 6,5 million (while the remaining part of the retina is composed of more than 120 million rods, specialized cells in the perception of low light intensity,but not the color). La macula è situata al posterior pole Eye, has a diameter of about 5 it recognizes mm inside, an area with a central depression: the fovea (of approximately 1,5 mm2), devoid of capillaries and with a high concentration of rods and cones; This is the area having the maximum visual acuity, inside which, your back, is described in an area smaller still, without vessels that foveola, of just 0,35 mm in diameter densely packed cones.
Visual information collected here are sent, via the optic nerve and the optical radiation, to the occipital cerebral cortex (calcarine area), cortical area occupied by its large part of the representation of the macular area.
The macula is’ then the retinal area par excellence and is particularly susceptible to changes in the body's metabolic. Structural damage in this small retinal area leading to severe visual impairment. It’ unfortunately what occurs in age-related macular degeneration, in Myopic maculopathy evolved and maculopathy toxic and infectious.