For 10 points, name this part of the retina, whose degeneration causes a common type of blindness.
Mutations in the SERPING1 gene product and other components of the complement pathway are a risk factor for diseases of this structure, as is the presence of reticular zinc-rich bodies.  Toxoplasmosis infection can cause stellate exudates in it.  Dichroism in this structure is thought to explain the phenomenon of Haidinger's brushes.  An elongated layer of S-shaped axons under this structure is called the fiber layer of Henle.  The accumulation of drusen and the vascularization of Bruch's membrane are symptoms of the "wet" form of a disease of this structure.  Zeaxanthin is one of two pigments that give it a yellow color, and a cone-rich pit within this structure is called the fovea.  For 10 points, name this part of the retina, whose degeneration causes a common type of blindness.
Mutations in the SERPING1 gene product and other components of the complement pathway are a risk factor for diseases of this structure, as is the presence of reticular zinc-rich bodies.  
macula lutea