HB-106 · Special Senses · Part
Retina microstructure
Also called: retina layers Retina
Schematic 3D Classes 11-12 · Advanced Advanced Draft - educator review
3D is not available on this device, so a picture of the model is shown instead.
Parts: photoreceptors; bipolar cells; ganglion cells; retinal pigment epithelium
Drag to rotate · right-drag or two fingers to pan · scroll or pinch to zoom · click a part for details · keys: arrows rotate, + and - zoom, R resets, Esc clears.
About
The retina has light-sensing rods and cones at the back and nerve cells in front that send signals to the brain.
- 📍 Where it is
- Inner lining of the back of the eye.
- 🧱 Structure
- Pigment epithelium, rods and cones, bipolar cells, ganglion cells and the nerve fibre layer forming the optic nerve.
- ⚙️ What it does
- Converts light into nerve impulses; cones detect colour, rods work in dim light.
💡 Key facts
- Light passes through the nerve layers before reaching the rods and cones.
- There are about 120 million rods and 6 million cones.
- Cones are packed in the fovea.
✗ Rods detect colour
✓ Cones detect colour; rods help in dim light.
📒 Words to know
- rod
- dim-light receptor
- cone
- colour receptor
- ganglion cell
- neuron whose axons form the optic nerve
🏫 Related lessons
- Human eye and optical phenomena Classes 9-10
Generic GayaGnan topic lessons. Check your own board's syllabus for the exact chapter.
🔎 Sources and credits
Catalog description: Layered retinal cell model.
- OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology 2e, ch. 14 (special senses) (accessed 2026-10-30)
- 3D models: BodyParts3D (DBCLS) and the Human Reference Atlas (HuBMAP), CC BY 4.0, with GayaGnan schematics. 3D model credits
For learning only. This site does not give medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, and it does not collect any health data.