macula

[mak´u-lah] (L.)

1. a stain, spot, or thickening; in anatomy, an area distinguishable by color or otherwise from its surroundings. Often used alone to refer to the macula retinae.

2. a discolored spot on the skin that is not raised above the surface; called also macule.

3. a corneal scar that can be seen without special optical aids; it presents as a gray spot intermediate between a nebula and a leukoma.

4. macula lutea. adj., adj mac´ular, mac´ulate.

acoustic maculae (ma´culae acus´ticae) the macula sacculi and macula utriculi considered together.

macula atro´phica a white atrophic patch on the skin.

macula ceru´lea a blue patch on the skin seen in pediculosis.

macula cribro´sa a perforated spot or area; one of three perforated areas (inferior, medial, and superior) in the wall of the vestibule of the ear through which branches of the vestibulocochlear nerve pass to the saccule, utricle, and semicircular canals.

macula den´sa a zone of heavily nucleated cells in the distal renal tubule that feed information to the juxtaglomerular cells.

macula fla´va a yellow nodule at one end of a vocal cord.

macula folli´culi follicular stigma.

macula germinati´va germinal area; the part of the ovum where the embryo is formed.

macula lu´tea (macula lu´tea re´tinae) (macula re´tinae) an irregular yellowish depression on the retina, lateral to and slightly below the optic disk; receives and analyzes light only from the center of the visual field.

macula sac´culi a thickening on the wall of the saccule where the epithelium contains hair cells that receive and transmit vestibular impulses.

macula utri´culi a thickening in the wall of the utricle where the epithelium contains hair cells that are stimulated by linear acceleration and deceleration and by gravity.

mac·u·la

, pl.

mac·u·lae

(mak'yū-lă, -ū-lē),

1. A circumscribed flat area, up to 1 cm in diameter, differing perceptibly in color from the surrounding tissue.
See also: spot.
See also: neuroepithelium of macula.

2. A small discolored patch or spot on the skin, neither elevated above nor depressed below the skin's surface.
See also: spot.
See also: neuroepithelium of macula.

3. The neuroepithelial sensory receptors of the utricle and saccule of the vestibular labyrinth collectively.
See also: neuroepithelium of macula. Synonym(s): maculae utriculosaccularis [TA]

Synonym(s): macule, spot (1)

[L. a spot]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

macula

(măk′yə-lə)

n. pl. macu·lae (-lē′) or macu·las

a. An opaque spot on the cornea.

b. The macula lutea.

2. See macule².

mac′u·lar adj.

macula

A circular area measuring 5 to 6 mm in diameter which is located on the posterior central retina. The macula has the fovea at its centre, which lies within the vacular arcades of the retina; it has a high concentration of photoreceptors, facilitates central vision and permits high-resolution visual acuity.

mac·u·la

, pl. maculae (mak'yū-lă, -lē)

1. A small spot, perceptibly different in color from the surrounding tissue.

2. A small, discolored patch or spot on the skin, neither elevated above nor depressed below the skin's surface.

3. In ocular anatomy, indicates that portion of the retina located within the major vascular arcades, temporal to the optic nerve.
Synonym(s): macule, spot (1) .

[L. a spot]

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

macula

Any small flat spot.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

macula

an area of acute vision on the retina of many vertebrates which lack a FOVEA.

Collins Dictionary of Biology, 3rd ed. © W. G. Hale, V. A. Saunders, J. P. Margham 2005

Macula

The central part of the retina where the rods and cones are densest.

Mentioned in: Eye Examination

fovea centralis

A small area of the retina of approximately 1.5 mm in diameter situated within the macula lutea. At the fovea centralis, the retina is the thinnest as there are no supporting fibres of Mueller, no ganglion cells and no bipolar cells. These cells are shifted to the edge of the depression. The fovea centralis contains mainly cone cells, each one being connected to only one ganglion cell and thus contributing to the highest visual acuity of the retina. The visual field represented by the fovea centralis is equal to about 5º (Fig. F9). Syn. foveal pit; macula (term often used by clinicians). See central visual acuity; retinal image; macula lutea.

Fig. F9 Cross-section of the retina showing the fovea centralis and foveola (rod-free area)

macula lutea

An oval area of the retina 3-5 mm in diameter, with the foveal depression at its centre, slightly below the level of the optic disc and temporal to it (its centre lies 3.5 mm from the edge of the disc). The side wall of the depression slopes gradually towards the centre where the fovea centralis is located and where the best photopic visual acuity is obtained. Around the fovea, the ganglion cells are much more numerous than elsewhere, being arranged in five to seven layers. The outer molecular layer is also thicker than elsewhere and forms the outer fibre layer of Henle and there is a progressive disappearance of rods so that at the foveola only cones are found. The area of the macula lutea is impregnated by a yellow pigment (macular pigment) in the inner layers and for that reason is often called the yellow spot. Syn. area centralis (although that area is considered to be slightly larger, about 5.5 mm in diameter); punctum luteum. See blue field entoptoscope; fovea centralis; macular pigment.

mac·u·la

, pl. maculae (mak'yū-lă, -lē)

1. [TA] Circumscribed flat area, differing perceptibly in color from surrounding tissue.

2. Small discolored patch on skin, neither elevated above nor depressed below skin's surface.

3. Neuroepithelial sensory receptors of utricle and saccule of vestibular labyrinth collectively.
Synonym(s): spot (1) .

[L. a spot]

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Many patients with RAM improve spontaneously, especially if the center of the macula is not involved.

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of Retinal Arterial Macroaneurysm before and after Treatment

The flow densities in the retinal OCT angiogram of the macula and in the radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) network, as measured using OCTA, improved significantly after iStent implantation in conjunction with cataract surgery.

Changes in Flow Density Measured Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography after iStent Insertion in Combination with Phacoemulsification in Patients with Open-Angle Glaucoma

Vitreomacular Traction or VMT was seen as hyperreflective band in the vitreous, which was adherent to the fovea, either centrally or paracentrally causing traction and pulling up the macula.

Evaluation of optical coherence tomography patterns in diabetic macular oedema

Average flow index of four layers of macula area were 0.044 for superficial retina layer, 0.036 for deep retina layer, 0.016 for outer retina layer, and 0.155 for choroid layer.

Reproducibility of Perfusion Parameters of Optic Disc and Macula in Rhesus Monkeys by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

We applied these mild burns in a grid pattern in thickened retina and non-thickened area of the macula in a grid pattern excluding central 500 micron.

Sub-threshold frequency doubled Nd. YAG modified mild maculr grid laser for diffuse diabetic maculopathy

Out of the hundreds of carotenoids in nature, only lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin are selectively present in high concentrations in the macula, giving this part of the eye its distinctive yellow color.

Prevent age-related vision loss

Funduscopy showed a binocularly dull macula area with poor fovea reflex.

Clinical investigations and management of refractive changes in pregnancy: a case report

Ultra Preventive Vision is a comprehensive multivitamin/mineral formula with phytonutrients and carotenoids specially designed to help support a healthy macula, retina, and visual performance for all ages that are affected by excess blue-light exposure and free radical damage.

Douglas laboratories launches new line of vision health supplements

AMD is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, which is known as the macula. The macula is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, so it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail.

A New Treatment For Vision Loss

The macula is the yellow spot in the central retina that is responsible for detailed central vision and the yellow color is the result of high concentrations of lutein and zeaxanthin.

Lutein & Zeaxanthin may improve visual performance in young people

It's a progressive deterioration of the part of the retina, known also as the macula. The deterioration of the macula results in a loss of vision in the center of the retina that is said to have no treatment or cure.

Saving your eyesight as you age may be easier than you think