The central fovea consists of very compact cones, thinner and more rod-like in appearance than cones elsewhere.

The perifovea contains an even more diminished density of cones, having 12 per 100 micrometres versus 50 per 100 micrometres in the most central fovea.

The parafovea extends to a distance of 1 mm from the central fovea, and the perifovea is found 2 mm away from the fovea centralis.

The entire retina (with the exception of the fovea) becomes pale and swollen and opaque while the central fovea still appears reddish (this is because the choroid color shows through).

A horse has higher acuity through most of the visual field of its eyes than a human has, but does not match the high acuity of the human eye's central fovea region.