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{{Infobox anatomy
|Name=Foveola
|Image=
|Latin=foveola
}}
The '''foveola''' is located within a region called the [[macula]], a yellowish, cone photoreceptor filled portion of the human [[retina]].  Approximately 0.35&nbsp;mm in diameter, the foveola lies in the center of the [[Fovea centralis|fovea]] and contains only [[cone cell]]s and a cone-shaped zone of [[Müller cell]]s.<ref name=pmid10369597>{{cite journal |doi=10.1001/archopht.117.6.821 |pmid=10369597 |title=Müller Cell Cone, an Overlooked Part of the Anatomy of the Fovea Centralis |journal=Archives of Ophthalmology |volume=117 |issue=6 |pages=821–3 |year=1999 |last1=Gass |first1=J. Donald M |doi-access=free }}</ref> In this region the cone receptors are found to be longer, slimmer, and more densely packed than anywhere else in the retina, thus allowing that region to have the potential to have the highest visual acuity in the eye.
The center of the foveola is sometimes referred to as the umbo, a small (150-200μm) center of the floor of the foveola; features elongated cones. The umbo is the observed point corresponding to the normal light reflex but not solely responsible for this light reflex.
The anatomy of the foveola was recently reinvestigated.<ref name=pmid29576957>{{cite journal |doi=10.7717/peerj.4482 |pmid=29576957 |pmc=5853608 |title=The anatomy of the foveola reinvestigated |journal=PeerJ |volume=6 |pages=e4482 |year=2018 |last1=Tschulakow |first1=Alexander V |last2=Oltrup |first2=Theo |last3=Bende |first3=Thomas |last4=Schmelzle |first4=Sebastian |last5=Schraermeyer |first5=Ulrich |doi-access=free }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref>
Serial semithin and ultrathin sections, and focused ion beam (FIB) tomography were prepared from 32 foveolae from monkeys (''Macaca fascicularis'') and humans. Serial sections and FIB analysis were then used to construct 3D models of central Müller and photoreceptor cells.<ref name=pmid29576957/>
It was discovered that in monkeys, outer segments of central foveolar cones are twice as long as those from parafoveal cones and do not run completely parallel to the incident light. Unique Müller cells are present in the central foveolae (area of 200&nbsp;μm in diameter) of humans and monkeys.<ref name=pmid29576957/>
[[File:Macula.svg|thumb|Photograph of the retina of the human eye, with overlay diagrams showing the positions and sizes of the macula, fovea, and optic disc]]
==Additional images==
<gallery>
File:Macula lutea.svg|Schematic diagram of the macula lutea of the retina, showing perifovea, parafovea, fovea, and clinical macula
File:Retina-OCT800.png|Time-Domain OCT of the macular area of a retina at 800 nm, axial resolution 3 μm
File:SD-OCT Macula Cross-Section.png|Spectral-Domain OCT macula cross-section scan.
File:Macula Histology OCT.jpg|alt=macula histology (OCT)|macula histology (OCT)
File:Retinography.jpg|A [[fundus photograph]] showing the macula as a spot to the left. The optic disc is the area on the right where blood vessels converge. The grey, more diffuse spot in the centre is a shadow [[visual artifact|artifact]].
</gallery>
== Notes ==
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{{Eye}}
{{Visual_system}}
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[[Category:Human eye anatomy]]
[[Category:Visual system]]
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