The macula lutea is
a small depression forming a shallow pit in the retina at
the back of each eye in the human body. It is slightly
yellow in apperance and so was first called the "Yellow
Spot" or "Macula Lutea" of Sömmerring
(the scientist who first discovered and documented it).
As is true of many terms in anatomy, the term "macula lutea"
is another word for yellow
spot or fovea:
Different terms are used in different texts but the meaning is the same.
Because it contains a large
number of the light-sensitive photo-detector cells called cones,
the macula lutea ("yellow spot", or "fovea") is the area of greatest
acuity of vision.
This means that when an eye is directed at an object, the part
of the image of that object formed on the retina that falls onto the
fovea is the part of the image that will be perceived in the greatest
detail.
The existance of such an area is only known to occur in humans, the
quadrumana (a group of primates comprising apes and monkeys), and some
saurian reptiles.
The subject of visual (also known as "physiological")
optics is a key component of many courses within the fields of
both biology and physics. It is also an essential consideration
in the design of displays and control units used in many applications
from
televisions
and mobile telephones to advanced aircraft. In the context of engineering
"visual optics" is one of several medical and psychological topics in
the important area of "Human Factors".
|
