title: Development alterations in binocular competitive interactions and visual acuity in visually deprived cats.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of developmental alterations in binocular competitive interactions between the eyes on visual acuity. Comparisons were made between animals which were monocularly deprived (MD) of patterned visual input, binocularly lid-sutured cats (BD), and animals which had the lids of one eye sutured closed and the other eye removed prior to natural eye opening (MDE). Thus, each group differed in the degree of competitive imbalance between the eyes during postnatal development. Threshold visual acuity for high contrast, squarewave gratings was measured in a jumping stand. Mean visual acuities for each group using a single deprived eye were: group MD, 0.65 cycles/deg; group BD, 3.2 cycles/deg; group MED, 3.72 cycles/deg. These results indicated that the greater the competitive disadvantage an eye is placed at during development, the greater the acuity (sensory) deficits. Further, comparisons made between MD and MDE animals indicated that the acuity deficits using effects of deprivation per se.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D013997:Time Factors; D014785:Vision, Ocular; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000502:physiology