fovea
Center of Sharpest Vision
Plain-language definition
A tiny pit at the center of the macula packed with cone photoreceptors, providing the sharpest vision for reading and face recognition.
Where this term comes up
“Atrophic patches may begin outside the foveal center and then enlarge toward reading vision.”
Condition · Geographic Atrophy
“The cherry-red spot is a contrast - the fovea looks bright red because the retina around it has become pale and opaque from infarction or lipid storage”
Finding · Cherry-Red Spot
“Multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) was the key diagnostic test, revealing extinguished foveolar response OD and misshapen foveolar response OS with perifoveal changes bilaterally”
Publication · Bilateral Progressive Vision Loss in Noninfectious HIV Retinopathy without Infectious Retinitis
- Category
- Anatomy
- Also written as
- foveal, foveolar
Anatomy terms name the eye, orbit, optic nerve, retina, or visual pathway structures that may appear in an exam note or imaging report.
Related glossary terms
- macula
Central Retina
- OCT
Optical Coherence Tomography
- fundus
Back of the Eye
- fluorescein
Yellow Eye Dye
- ischemia
Reduced Blood Supply
- epithelium
Surface Cell Layer
A note on medical context
A glossary definition can explain a word, but it cannot tell you whether a symptom or test result is serious. If this term came from an article, use the full article and your clinician's guidance for context.