The electrical stimulation of the retina by indwelling electrodes

Chronically implanted intraocular electrodes were used to stimulate visual cortical responses to current passage through the retina. Electrical current threshold for the light-adapted cat retina lies in the region of 30 to 100 X 10(-6) amps. for the conditions used. Dark adaptation caused a large threshold increase. Retinal excitability also decreased when electrical stimuli were delivered more often than one per 5 seconds. Effective charge-density threshold was moderately greater than reported for frogs and humans.