Basics of Retina for Ophthalmology Board Exams

Abstract

As expected, the retina chapter is the longest chapter, as it also has the bulk of questions among all basic ophthalmology exams. It is important to understand all aspects of retinal anatomy and physiology, where we tried to summarize and simplify them as much as possible. One of the important topics commonly appearing in exams is the process of phototransduction, which transforms light into neural signals to be transmitted to the brain. An example of such questions is asking about the events that occur during photoreceptor hyperpolarization, where these events are summarized in a single, well-comprehensible figure.

This chapter will begin by detailing the 10 retinal layers, followed by the characteristics of cells in these layers. After that, details about optic disc and macula will be mentioned. The blood supply of the retina is complex, which will be simplified in the next section. Phototransduction then will be detailed. Important neuroreceptors and neuromodulators in the retina, retinal metabolism, and blood–retinal barrier will be briefed next. Of great importance next are retinal functions including binocular vision, stereopsis, temporal summation, spatial frequency, contrast sensitivity, visual acuity, color vision, and Light and dark adaptation. Finally, pathologies related to retina and its tumors will be discussed.