title: The quantity of rhodopsin in young human eyes.
abstract: The rhodopsin content of 20 eyes of infants and children ages 27 weeks gestation to 8 years (11 donors) was assayed and compared to the rhodopsin content of adults (36 eyes; 19 donors). Infants have significantly lower rhodopsin contents than adults. On average the rhodopsin content of young infants is about a third of adults. Previously reported full-field b-wave sensitivity of young infants is about 0.5 log units, that is about a third, less than adults. Thus, as previously found in infant rats, photon capture by rhodopsin appears to limit the dark adapted sensitivity of young human infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Fulton
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dodge
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Schremser
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005333:Fetus; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D051379:Mice; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000737:chemistry / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D051381:Rats; D012160:Retina / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D012243:Rhodopsin