In the macular area, there are fovea and foveal avascular zone. Foveal avascular zone is the fovea devoid of capillaries. Enlargement of the foveal avascular zone is found to be related to the severity of diabetic retinopathy. Particular colours observed in the retinal image correspond to the optical properties of the pigments and the structure of the retinal layers. In this work, we use independent component analysis to determine retinal pigments from fundus images. The results show that independent component analysis can be used to determine retinal pigments, namely haemoglobin, melanin, and macular pigment. This technique allows us to determine retinal blood vessels and the macula based on the distribution of haemoglobin and macular pigment. Contrast enhancement factor of 3.5 for digital retinal images is achieved. This improvement in contrast reduces the need of applying contrasting agent on patients. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.