title: Operating in the dark: a night-vision system for surgery in retinas susceptible to light damage.
abstract: A standard operating microscope was modified with a bandpass infrared filter in the light path and infrared image intensifiers for each of the 2 eyepieces. We evaluated this system for subretinal injections in normal control dogs and those with a mutation in the rhodopsin gene. Rhodopsin-mutant dogs are a model for human autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa, and their retinas degenerate faster when exposed to modest light levels as used in routine clinical examinations. We showed that the mutant retinas developed severe generalized degeneration when exposed to the standard operating microscope light but not the infrared light. The modified operating microscope provided an excellent view of the ocular fundus under infrared illumination and allowed us to perform subretinal injections in the retinas of the rhodopsin-mutant dogs without any subsequent light-induced retinal degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Studies, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3900 Delancey St, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. komaromy@vet.upenn.edu
authors.forename: András M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Komáromy
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Acland
authors.forename: Gustavo D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Aguirre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery*; D004285:Dogs; D008027:Light / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000662:veterinary*; D009154:Mutation; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000662:veterinary; D011832:Radiation Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D012160:Retina / Q000528:radiation effects*; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery / Q000662:veterinary*; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012243:Rhodopsin