Experimental retinal detachment and reattachment in the rhesus monkey. Electron microscopic comparison of rods and cones.

Recent reports" have shown that experi­ mental retinal detachment in the owl monkey (Aotes trivirgatus) produced photoreceptor outer-segment degeneration, and that surgi­ cal reattachment of the retina returned the outer segments to a normal configuration. The owl monkey is a nocturnal animal possessing a predominantly rod retina and an area centralis but no fovea. Because of the importance of cone vision in man, we felt it important to compare rod and cone fine-structure in experimental retinal detach­ ment and reattachment in the rhesus monkey which has an eye with a fovea, color vision and a retinal histology quite similar to that of man.