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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Ex Vivo OCT-Based Multimodal Imaging of Human Donor Eyes for Research into Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Published on: May 26, 2023

Foveal shape and structure in a normal population.

Sarah Tick¹, Florence Rossant, Itebeddine Ghorbel

¹Clinical Investigation Center 503, Centre Hospitalier National des Quinze-Vingts, INSERM and Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Paris, France.

Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science

|August 2, 2011

Summary

Human foveal shape varies significantly, with structure correlating to neurovascular organization. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) size influences inner retinal layer migration, impacting cone photoreceptor packing.

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Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Retinal Imaging
Human Anatomy

Background:

The human fovea's shape and structure exhibit considerable variability.
Understanding this variability is crucial for characterizing normal retinal anatomy.
Previous studies have not fully elucidated the relationship between foveal shape and its underlying structure.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine the variability in shape and structure of normal human foveae.
To correlate foveal shape with neurovascular organization, specifically the foveal avascular zone (FAZ).

Main Methods:

Automated segmentation of retinal layers on high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans in 110 eyes.
Correlation of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) size with foveal shape in 10 normal eyes using fluorescein angiography.

Main Results:

A structural continuum was observed, from shallow pits with intact inner nuclear layer (INL) to completely separated inner layers over a thinner outer nuclear layer (ONL).
Central foveal thickness showed an inverse correlation with the degree of inner layer separation.
Foveal thickness also correlated inversely with the surface area of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ).

Conclusions:

Foveal structure is strongly linked to its neurovascular organization.
Findings support a developmental model where FAZ size dictates inner retinal layer migration.
This migration appears to counteract the centripetal packing of cone photoreceptors.