'retroocular' originates from modern (New) Latin/medical formation combining the prefix 'retro-' (from Latin 'retro' meaning 'back' or 'behind') and 'ocular' (from Latin 'oculus' meaning 'eye').

'retro-' is a Latin prefix meaning 'back' or 'behind'; 'ocular' derives from Latin 'oculus' via Medieval/Scientific Latin (e.g. 'oculare') and Old French influence, which produced Middle English forms like 'ocular' before modern English adoption. The compound 'retroocular' formed in medical/technical usage to denote position behind the eye.

The elements originally meant 'back/behind' and 'eye' respectively; the combined term has retained the literal spatial meaning of 'behind the eye' and is used primarily in anatomical and clinical contexts.