From Latin rēte 'net,' named for the network of blood vessels on the eye's light-sensitive inner surface.
The light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye that receives images and sends signals to the brain via the optic nerve.
From Medieval Latin retina, probably from Latin rēte 'net.' The retina was so named because of the network of blood vessels visible on its surface, resembling a fine net. Some scholars attribute the anatomical term to the Arab physician Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen), whose work was translated into Latin in the 13th century. Key roots: *rēte (Latin: "net, mesh").
The human retina contains about 120 million rod cells (for dim light) and 6 million cone cells (for color)—yet the optic nerve has only about 1 million fibers, meaning the retina compresses visual data by roughly 100:1 before sending it to the brain.