Optic disc imaging in conscious rats and mice
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Updated: Sep 27, 2026
Using Optical Coherence Tomography and Optokinetic Response As Structural and Functional Visual System Readouts in Mice and Rats
Published on: January 10, 2019
Bruce E Cohan1, Andrew C Pearch, Pentti T Jokelainen
1Eye Research Fund Laboratory, Medical School of the University of Michigan, 2350 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48104, USA. becohan@umich.edu
Purpose:
To determine whether useful images of the optic discs of conscious rats and mice can be obtained by using a photo slit lamp and a modified Goldmann-type fundus contact lens.
Methods:
Testing was performed with a photo slit lamp equipped with two 2x teleconverters and a digital camera through a Goldmann-type fundus contact lens that was fabricated for the rodent eye.
Results:
Images of the rat and mouse optic discs were obtained that are comparable to those used by ophthalmologists to assess optic neuropathy in glaucoma, a key part of the standard of care and of clinical investigation of this disease. The cup in the optic disc image of these rodents is darker than the neural rim of the disc, rather than lighter, as it is in humans.
Conclusions:
In addition to the application of this imaging method to studies of the effect on optic disc cupping of induced increased intraocular pressure in rats and mice, by detecting and documenting the onset and the course of optic neuropathy, it should be valuable in identifying animal models of glaucoma, in studying neuropathogenic mechanisms, and in assessing the effects of experimental therapies.
