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“macula”
A small spot or colored area: A macula on the skin is a small flat spot while the macula in an eye is a small spot in the retina.
The macula of the retina includes the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye and usually, it is in the center of the retina.
When people read, light is focused on the macula where millions of cells change light into nerve signals which tell the brain what is being seen.
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macul-, maculat-
(page 1)
(Latin: spot, mark, stain, blot, blemish, mesh; the original meaning of macula seems to have been, "a soiled spot, a spot to be cleaned")
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“macula”
A bluish stain on the skin caused by the bites of fleas or lice located primarily on the chest, abdomen, thighs, and upper arms noticeable in light-skinned individuals: Maculae ceruleae are probably the result of altered blood pigments in infested individuals, or to an excretion product in the louse's saliva that converts bilirubin (a reddish-yellow bile pigment) to biliverdin (a green pigment occurring in bile).
The public health nurse noticed the presence of macula ceruleae among her street or homeless clients and reported this to the local health authorities.
The oval areas of the sensory retina at the back of the eye balls: The center of macula retinae are the central fovea (small cup-shaped depressions or pits), which contain only retinal cones (light-sensitive cell types).