• 21 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Retina Diagram

The retina cut across, layer by layer, then the back of the eye.

Retina Diagram

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Rod
  2. Cone
  3. Bipolar cell
  4. Ganglion cell
  5. Horizontal cell
  6. Amacrine cell
  7. Müller cell
  8. Pigmented layer (pigment epithelium)
  9. Outer nuclear layer
  10. Outer plexiform layer
  11. Inner nuclear layer
  12. Inner plexiform layer
  13. Ganglion cell layer
  14. Nerve fiber layer
  15. Direction of light
  16. Macula lutea
  17. Fovea
  18. Optic disc
  19. Central retinal artery
  20. Central retinal vein
  21. Optic nerve

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the whole eye, cornea to optic nerve

All 21 parts on the diagram

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The layers 15

  1. Rod A photoreceptor that works in dim light. Its outer segment is long and thin.
  2. Cone A photoreceptor for daylight and color. Its outer segment is short and tapered.
  3. Bipolar cell A cell that carries signals from rods and cones to ganglion cells.
  4. Ganglion cell The output cell of the retina. Its long fiber runs to the optic nerve.
  5. Horizontal cell A cell that links rods and cones sideways. Its arms run in the outer plexiform layer.
  6. Amacrine cell A cell whose arms spread sideways in the inner plexiform layer. It links bipolar cells and ganglion cells.
  7. Müller cell The glial cell of the retina, a support cell. It reaches through almost the whole thickness of the retina.
  8. Pigmented layer (pigment epithelium) A single layer of pigmented cells behind the rods and cones.
  9. Outer nuclear layer The layer of rod and cone cell bodies.
  10. Outer plexiform layer A layer of synapses. Rods and cones meet bipolar and horizontal cells here.
  11. Inner nuclear layer The layer of bipolar, horizontal and amacrine cell bodies.
  12. Inner plexiform layer A layer of synapses. Bipolar cells meet ganglion and amacrine cells here.
  13. Ganglion cell layer The layer of ganglion cell bodies.
  14. Nerve fiber layer The fibers of the ganglion cells, running to the optic disc.
  15. Direction of light Light crosses every layer before it reaches the rods and cones.

Back of the eye 6

  1. Macula lutea An oval area at the center of the retina. The fovea lies in its middle.
  2. Fovea A small pit at the macula's center. Cones are packed most densely here.
  3. Optic disc Where the nerve fibers leave the eye. It has no rods or cones.
  4. Central retinal artery The artery that runs in the optic nerve. It branches over the retina and feeds its inner layers.
  5. Central retinal vein The vein that drains the retina. It runs through the center of the optic nerve, beside the artery.
  6. Optic nerve The bundle of ganglion cell fibers that leaves the eye.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-10-01 in at least two of these. (1) Wikipedia, English edition, Retina and the articles on the Muller glia, the macula, the fovea, the optic disc and the central retinal artery and vein, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retina. (2) Webvision, University of Utah, Simple Anatomy of the Retina, https://webvision.med.utah.edu/book/part-i-foundations/simple-anatomy-of-the-retina/. (3) Neuroscience Online, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, Section 2, Chapter 14, https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s2/chapter14.html. Detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

The first drawing is the retina cut across, with the light coming from below: seven kinds of cell in eight layers. The second cuts the back of the eye through the optic disc.

Read the full guide

Cells first, then the bands they sit in

Numbers 1 to 7 are cells: rod, cone, bipolar cell, ganglion cell, horizontal cell, amacrine cell and Müller cell. Numbers 8 to 14 are layers, each with a tab at the left: the pigmented layer on top, then the outer nuclear, outer plexiform, inner nuclear, inner plexiform and ganglion cell layers, and the nerve fiber layer at the bottom. Number 15 is the way the light comes. At the back of the eye, 16 to 21: the macula lutea, the fovea, the optic disc, the central retinal artery and vein, and the optic nerve.

  • Nuclear layers hold cell bodies and plexiform layers hold synapses, and the two kinds take turns.
  • Light comes in at the nerve fiber layer and is caught at the far side, by the rods and cones.

Questions and answers

What are the layers of the retina in order?

From the back of the eye inward: pigmented layer, rods and cones, outer nuclear layer, outer plexiform layer, inner nuclear layer, inner plexiform layer, ganglion cell layer and nerve fiber layer. Two thin limiting membranes are also counted in a list of ten.

Which way does light pass through the retina?

From the nerve fiber layer to the rods and cones. The ganglion cells lie nearest the lens and the photoreceptors farthest from it, so light crosses the whole thickness of the retina before it is caught.

What is the difference between the macula and the fovea?

The macula lutea is an oval area at the center of the retina. The fovea is the small pit in the middle of it, where cones are packed most densely.

Is this the answer key to the art labeling activity the organization of the retina?

No. That is the title of a publisher's homework activity. This is our own drawing of the same subject, with every cell and layer named, and a second view of the retina in section at the back of the eye.

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