Pecten oculi

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The pecten or pecten oculi is a vascular section of the choroid in the eye of a bird. It is non-sensory and is a discrete pigmented structure that projects into the vitreous body from the point where the optic nerve enters the eyeball.[1] The pecten is believed to both nourish the retina and control the pH of the vitreous body.[2] It is present in all birds and some reptiles.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Walls (1942). The Vertebrate Eye and its Adaptive Radiation. Hafner. 
  2. ^ Kiama, S G.;J. N. Maina;J. Bhattacharjee and K. D. Weyrauch (2001) Functional morphology of the pecten oculi in the nocturnal spotted eagle owl (Bubo bubo africanus), and the diurnal black kite (Milvus migrans) and domestic fowl (Gallus gallus var. domesticus): a comparative study. Journal of Zoology 254: 521-528
  3. ^ Bonney, Rick & Rohrbaugh, Jr., Ronald (2004), Handbook of Bird Biology (Second ed.), Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, ISBN 0-938-02762-X