Editing Macula (section)

{{Short description|Oval-shaped pigmented area near the center of the retina}}
{{About|the macula of the eye|other uses|Macula (disambiguation)||}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox anatomy
| Name        = Macula
| Latin       = macula lutea
| Image       = Blausen 0389 EyeAnatomy 02.png
| Caption     = The macula is the central part of the [[retina]] of the [[human eye]], its center slightly shifted to the temporal side. (The location in the image is misleading: it looks as if the macula were far removed from the center which is not the case.)
| Image2      =
| Caption2    =
| Precursor   =
| System      =
| Artery      =
| Vein        =
| Nerve       =
| Lymph       =
| part_of = [[Retina]] of [[human eye]]
| system = [[Visual system]]
}}

The '''macula''' (/ˈmakjʊlə/)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/macula |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803154815/https://www.lexico.com/definition/macula |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 August 2020 |title=MACULA &#124; Meaning & Definition for UK English |publisher=Lexico.com |date= |accessdate=2022-08-24}}</ref> or '''macula lutea''' is an oval-shaped pigmented area in the center of the [[retina]] of the [[human eye]] and in other animals. The macula in humans has a diameter of around {{convert|5.5|mm|abbr=on}} and is subdivided into the [[Umbo (eye)|umbo]], [[foveola]], [[foveal avascular zone]], [[Fovea centralis|fovea]], [[parafovea]], and [[perifovea]] areas.<ref name="Project Orbis International">{{cite web|title=Interpretation of Stereo Ocular Angiography : Retinal and Choroidal Anatomy|url=http://www.cybersight.org/bins/content_page.asp?cid=1-8989-8993-9001|publisher=Project Orbis International|access-date=11 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219071400/http://www.cybersight.org/bins/content_page.asp?cid=1-8989-8993-9001|archive-date=19 December 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

The anatomical macula at a size of {{convert|5.5|mm|abbr=on}} is much larger than the clinical macula which, at a size of {{convert|1.5|mm|abbr=on}}, corresponds to the anatomical fovea.<ref name="Yanoff2009">{{cite book|last=Yanoff|first=Myron|title=Ocular Pathology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V9lV7iSrJvEC&pg=PA393|access-date=7 November 2014|year=2009|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=978-0-323-04232-1|page=393}}</ref><ref name="Small1994">{{cite book|last=Small|first=R.G.|title=The Clinical Handbook of Ophthalmology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J0mO1sk6zj8C&pg=PA134|access-date=7 November 2014|year=1994|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-85070-584-0|page=134}}</ref><ref name="PeymanMeffert2000">{{cite book|last1=Peyman|first1=Gholam A.|author-link1=Gholam A. Peyman|last2=Meffert|first2=Stephen A.|last3=Chou|first3=Famin|author4=Mandi D. Conway|title=Vitreoretinal Surgical Techniques|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEaQ0wiM7JwC&pg=PA6|access-date=7 November 2014|year= 2000|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-85317-585-5|page=6}}</ref>

The macula is responsible for the central, high-resolution, color vision that is possible in good light. This kind of vision is impaired if the macula is damaged, as in [[macular degeneration]]. The clinical macula is seen when viewed from the pupil, as in ophthalmoscopy or retinal photography.

The term macula lutea comes from [[Latin]] ''macula'', "spot", and ''lutea'', "yellow".