Abstract: The retina, a laminated neural tissue at the back of the eye, is increasingly recognized as a site of central nervous system pathology in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) (Gaire et al., 2024). Developmentally derived from the embryonic diencephalon, the retina maintains a direct anatomical and physiological connection to the brain, comprising neurons, glial populations, and vascular structures that closely resemble those in the cerebral cortex. Both retina and brain originate from the neural ectoderm during embryogenesis and exhibit a layered cytoarchitecture composed of specialized neurons, supportive glia (astrocytes and microglia), and tightly regulated vasculature. These structures are protected by analogous blood-tissue barriers, the blood-retinal and blood–brain barriers, which mediate selective permeability and immune responses. While the brain is enclosed by the opaque skull and requires sophisticated, often expensive neuroimaging modalities for visualization, the retina is uniquely accessible through the transparent ocular media. This enables direct, high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of neuronal, glial, vascular, and molecular features in vivo using relatively affordable and clinically available technologies, including optical coherence tomography, scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, and increasingly, adaptive optics, hyperspectral imaging, and machine learning-based analytic platforms.