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Foveal Thinning

Meaning

Foveal Thinning is a measurable, pathological reduction in the overall thickness of the fovea, which is the small, central, and most sensitive pit of the macula responsible for all sharp, detailed central vision. This structural change is a critical clinical sign of retinal damage or atrophy, and it is precisely detected using high-resolution imaging techniques like Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT). The finding signifies a quantifiable loss of cellular layers, including the vital photoreceptors, and is consistently associated with a corresponding decline in central visual acuity.