Your eye is like a camera and the retina is the film of your eye. The retina is connected to your brain via the optic nerve. It is the most metabolically active tissue in your body. It is highly vascular (has many blood vessels running through it ) so it is affected by diseases of the blood vessels such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. The macula is the center of your retina where all your central vision is and what you use to read or see fine detail.