The eye is similar to a camera. Light enters through the front and is focused onto a film in the back. Images enters the eye through the cornea and then further focused by the lens onto the retina. The retina is a thin film that covers the back of the eye. It is responsible for organizing the visual input and then transmitting it to the brain via the optic nerve.
The Retina as seen by dilated examination
The tip of the optic nerve, seen inside the eye is called the optic disc. The major blood vessels to the retina (Central retinal artery and vein) come out of the optic disc and then branch out. These blood vessels are the main source of nutrients and oxygen to the retina, although a segment of the retina receives its nutrients from the layer below it (the choroid). The part of the retina responsible for a persons best and central vision is called the macula. In the very center of the macula is the fovea which is responsible for ones most fine central vision.