 Millions
of Americans, especially the elderly with
age-related macular degeneration, have partial
or major loss of vision as a result of the
death of the light-sensitive cells in their
retinas. Others, with earlier onset of vision
loss may have an inherited form of macular
degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. The
figure above illustrates the cells which die.
They are called rods and cones because they
have rod or cone shaped light-sensitive compartments
at one end of the cell (ROS=rod outer segment,
COS=cone outer segment.). This figure is taken
from a highly magnified view of a frog retina,
but human retinas are very similar.
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Our research is supported by grants from The National Eye Institute and The Foundation Fighting Blindness. For an excellent introduction to the structure of the eye go to Webvision from the University of Utah
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Apoptosis
DNA
Constructs Graduate
Research
|
||||
|
Department
of Pharmacology
Send
comments or questions to:
David S. Papermaster, MD |
||||
