macula /mac·u·la/ (mak´u-lah) pl. ma´culae [L.]
Macula
macula
macula [mak´u-lah] (L.)
macula (ma·kyu·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. m. lutea.
3. macule.
4. a corneal scar, appreciated as a gray spot.mac´ularmac´ulate
acoustic maculae maculae acusticae.
ma´culae acus´ticae the macula sacculi and macula utriculi considered together.
macula adhe´rens desmosome.
ma´culae atro´phicae white scarlike patches formed on the skin by atrophy.
ma´culae ceru´leae faint grayish blue spots sometimes found peripheral to the axilla or groin in pediculosis.
cerebral macula tache cérébrale.
ma´culae cribro´sae three perforated areas (inferior, medial, and superior) on the vestibular wall 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.
macula fla´va laryn´gis a yellow nodule at one end of a vocal cord.
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.
macula sac´culi a thickening on the wall of the saccule where the epithelium contains hair cells that are stimulated by linear acceleration and deceleration and by gravity. 
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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 (m k y -l)n. pl. mac·u·las or mac·u·lae (-l   ) 1. Also mac·ule (-y  l) A discolored spot or area on the skin that is not elevated above the surface and is characteristic of certain conditions, such as smallpox, purpura, or roseola.2. An opaque spot on the cornea. 3. The macula lutea. mac u·lar adj. |
Macula
The central part of the retina where the rods and cones are densest.
Mentioned in: Eye Examination
macula
a small pigmented area or a spot that appears separate or different in color from the surrounding tissue.
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.
macula (ma·kyu·l
),n a region within the retina of the eye; is responsible for clear and defined vision. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of loss of vision in elderly populations. Smoking, hypertension, aging, and atherosclerosis are implicated in macular degeneration.
macula
pl. maculae [L.]
1. a stain, spot, or thickening;
2. an area distinguishable by color or otherwise from its surroundings. Often used alone to refer to the macula retinae.
3. a macule: a discolored spot on the skin that is not raised above the surface.
4. a corneal scar that can be seen without special optical aids; presenting as a gray spot intermediate between a nebula and a leukoma.
5. macula lutea.
macula acusticae
terminations of the vestibulocochlear nerve in the utricle and saccule.
macula adherens
see desmosome.
macula atrophica
a white atrophic patch on the skin.
macula corneae
a circumscribed opacity of the cornea.
macula cribrosa
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 densa
a zone of heavily nucleated cells in the distal renal tubule.
macula folliculi
the point on the surface of a vesicular ovarian follicle where rupture occurs; follicular stigma.
macula germinativa
germinal area; the part of the conceptus where the embryo is formed.
inner ear macula
sensory receptor areas in the walls of the utriculus and sacculus which monitor the position of the head relative to gravity; see also macula sacculi, macula utriculi (below).
macula lutea
an irregular yellowish depression on the retina, lateral to and slightly below the optic disk. Called also macula retinae.
macula retinae
see macula lutea (above).
macula sacculi
a thickening on the wall of the saccule where the epithelium contains hair cells that receive and transmit vestibular impulses.
macula utriculi
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.
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.
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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.
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