[Visual function of cynomolgus monkeys with macula degeneration and peripheral retinal degeneration]

Using the simplified method for judging visual function of the cynomolgus monkey that was established by the present authors (Suzuki et al., 1988), forty-four cynomolgus monkeys with normal ophthalmoscopic findings, eleven monkeys with macula degeneration and thirteen monkeys with peripheral retinal degeneration were examined for their visual function. It was demonstrated that the monkeys with macula degeneration were inferior in their visual function to the monkeys with normal fundus. In addition, the degree of visual function varied with the degree of macula degeneration. The monkeys with peripheral retinal degeneration showed about the same degree in their visual function as the monkeys with normal fundus.