Your retina is part of your eyes. It is the layers of tissue that is located at the rear of  the your eyes. It is responsible for sensing the light and transmitting images to your brain. One of the major parts of the retina is the macula. The macula is what provides you with sharp, crystal clear images so that you can function normally.

When you have a problem with your retina, obviously your vision will be impaired  even to the extent of going blind. Some of the eye problems you can have because of retinal disorder are scarring in your macula, yellow specks in that blur your vision,
or retinal detachment which happens when your retina detaches from your eye because of trauma or an accident.

To understand how delicate your retina is, you need to delve further into the structure of your eye. Your retina is made of millions of nerve cells  or photoreceptors that each serve a specific purpose. Some are light sensitive, others are color sensitive. These cells help you recognize color and different degrees of darkness or brightness.

When your retina is exposed to light, the cells will send a message to other nerve cells that are lead to your optic nerve, which then will send electric impulses to your brain, and your brain will translate the message into an image.

Your retina has two kinds of photoreceptors. The first is the rod and your retina has about 125 million of these rods. Rods are responsible for your night and peripheral vision.

The second photoreceptor is the cone. You have less cones than rods, about 6 million and they are in charge of your central vision. With cones working perfectly, you can see colors, distinct and in great detail.

Our lifestyle will affect how our eyesight, and more particularly, how our retina functions. If we are constantly smoking and drinking, we could be severely and directly affecting our retina. It is also a serious risk if we suffer from high blood pressure and do not treat it with proper medication. On the other hand, if we are taking antibiotics or antihistamines, we could be contributing to a condition known as central serious chorioretinopathy (CSCR).

This retinal condition is quite serious because it can lead to total vision loss or at the very least, partial loss because the retinal cells start to die.

Early signs of retinal disorder are blurring, flashes of light stars, yellow specks, or loss of peripheral vision. It can happen because of aging, trauma from an injury or an eye tumor. If you have any of these signs, or a combination of them, do not hesitate to seek medical advice, If left untreated retinal disorder could lead to blindness.