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Fundus pigment distribution in rhesus monkeys
Author(s) -
Dawson William W.,
Jeffery Glen,
Dawson Judyth C.,
Kessler Matthew J.,
Rodriguez Jose’,
Westergaard Gregory C.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
veterinary ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.594
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1463-5224
pISSN - 1463-5216
DOI - 10.1111/j.1463-5224.2004.04042.x
Subject(s) - fundus (uterus) , hypopigmentation , albinism , ophthalmology , retina , biology , anatomy , retinal , medicine , genetics , neuroscience
There is growing evidence for an interaction among fundus pigmentation, character, geography and the function and structure of the outer retina. We examined three inbred groups of rhesus macaques (132 eyes) including all ages. One was a smaller (18 eyes) group. Coat colors were variations of brown–tan however, the smaller group had lighter ‘golden’ coats and colors. Fundus images were classified for pigmentation and its geographic distribution. In golden‐coated animals there was bias toward nasal fundus hypopigmentation with the optic disk as a watershed demarcation zone, which extended in the superior–inferior direction. Temporal fundus hypopigmentation did not occur in the absence of nasal hypopigmentation. More common, darker coated samples showed a characteristic diffuse fundus pigmentation. There was no evidence for albinism or large variations in macular pigmentation. Rhesus monkeys can exhibit geographically controlled genetic development of fundus pigmentation. Hypopigmentation provides for access to the choroidal infrastructure.