Ophthalmology Commons^™

Canine Retina Has A Primate Fovea-Like Bouquet Of Cone Photoreceptors Which Is Affected By Inherited Macular Degenerations, William Beltran, Artur V. Cideciyan, Karina E. Guziewicz, Simone Iwabe, Erin M. Scott, Svetlana V. Savina, Gordon Ruthel, Frank Stefano, Lingli Zhang, Richard Zorger, Alexander Sumaroka, Samuel G. Jacobson, Gustavo D. Aguirre

Gustavo D. Aguirre, VMD, PhD

Retinal areas of specialization confer vertebrates with the ability to scrutinize corresponding regions of their visual field with greater resolution. A highly specialized area found in haplorhine primates (including humans) is the fovea centralis which is defined by a high density of cone photoreceptors connected individually to interneurons, and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) that are offset to form a pit lacking retinal capillaries and inner retinal neurons at its center. In dogs, a local increase in RGC density is found in a topographically comparable retinal area defined as the area centralis. While the canine retina is devoid of a foveal …