Psychophysical, Biochemical and Histological Studies of Spectrally Selective Photic Damage to Primate Retina

摘要

Spectral sensitivity and hue discrimination data are presented which show an irrecoverable loss of blue sensitive cone (B-cone) response following as little as 64. milliwatts per cm2 of 458.5nm argon-ion laser exposure to rhesus monkey central retina over 4 hours of intermittent exposure. If reciprocity of intensity and exposure is linear, blue-blindness and attendant loss of discrimination colored signals could result from fewer than 240 brief exposures to blue laser light over a several hour period. Evidence is also shown for green lights. During the current contract period, success was obtained in destroying the B-cone response in single sessions under anaesthesia and in obtaining spectral sensitivity measures from the focal ERG which are sufficiently stable and detailed to measure the response of R-, G- and B-cones, rods and the interactions between them. Evidence is presented, from the focal ERG, that the color-opponent type neural inhibition exists in rhesus, as in fish and amphibia, in the out-plexiform layer of the retina, since it is detectable in the late receptor potential (a-wave).