The area centralis of the retina in the cat and other mammals: focal point for function and development of the visual system.

ABSTRACT

In many mammals, particularly species with frontalised eyes, a small region o retina is strongly specialised for high resolution, binocular vision. The region is typically located near the centre of the retina, a few millimetres temporal to the optic disc, and is termed the "area centralis" or, in some primates in which the specialisation is particularly well developed, the "fovea centralis". Where the specialisation is well developed, the area or fovea centralis dominates the organisation of the adult visual system. Studies of the histogenesis of the retina of the cat indicate that the process of retinal maturation is centred on the area centralis, which thus seems to be an organising focus in the ontogeny as well as the adult function of the visual system.