May 2004
Volume 45, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   May 2004
Morphometric Analysis of the Optic Nerve in RCD1 Dogs with Intraocular Retinal Prostheses
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • A. Almony
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • J.G. Eng
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • P. Marouni
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • F.N. Ross–Cisneros
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • D. Guven
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • J.D. Weiland
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • M.S. Humayun
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • A.A. Sadun
    Ophthalmology, USC/Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  A. Almony, None; J.G. Eng, None; P. Marouni, None; F.N. Ross–Cisneros, None; D. Guven, None; J.D. Weiland, None; M.S. Humayun, None; A.A. Sadun, None.
  • Footnotes
    Support  NIH Grant EY03040 and an unrestricted grant from RPB
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science May 2004, Vol.45, 4212. doi:
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      A. Almony, J.G. Eng, P. Marouni, F.N. Ross–Cisneros, D. Guven, J.D. Weiland, M.S. Humayun, A.A. Sadun; Morphometric Analysis of the Optic Nerve in RCD1 Dogs with Intraocular Retinal Prostheses . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2004;45(13):4212.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: Short–term electrical stimulation from microelectronic retinal implants have shown increasing promise as an implied means of restoring useful vision to patients with outer retinal diseases. These devices convert visual information into patterns of electrical pulses that stimulate the remaining inner retinal neurons. In this study, we propose to test whether chronic electrical stimulation of the degenerated retina through a prototype implant in the RCD1 dog leads to axonal degeneration. Methods: Seven eyes (from four RCD1 dogs) were used in our study. Of these, two eyes had a 460um diameter platinum electrode intraocular retinal prosthesis implanted, three had sham surgery, and two were used as controls. The eyes with the retinal prostheses were stimulated 12 hours daily for 120 consecutive days. The dogs were sacrificed and the optic nerves were stained with DAB. Morphometric analysis was then performed using digitized light microscopic images. Axonal counts were obtained in eight sections (four internal and four external) of each optic nerve at 50X. Results: The small number of RCD1 dogs used in this study prevented us from obtaining statistically significant results. Nonetheless, the data revealed a trend in which the stimulated eyes had a higher total axonal count than the control eyes which had a higher total axonal count than the sham eyes. Conclusions: The significant implications of this research demands further study to determine whether chronic electrical stimulation and retinal prostheses implantation lead to axonal degeneration in the RCD1 dog.

Keywords: retinal degenerations: cell biology • retina • plasticity 
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