Diseases of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium-Photoreceptor Complex in Nonrodent Animal Models

Book Overview: The retinal pigment epithelium is a critical tissue within the eye. It lies directly behind the retina, where it provides metabolic support to the photoreceptors and controls their local environment. As a result, the RPE is vital to retinal function, but also a site of aging and disease that cause dysfunction and visual loss. This book brings together comprehensive reviews of basic and clinical science concerning the RPE. It is organized to juxtapose chapters on RPE disease with chapters on the underlying pathophysiology. These include up-to-date accounts of growth factors, laser effects, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, Bruch's membrane pathology, as well as new diagnostic tools such as ocular coherence tomography, in vivo imaging of lipofuscin and non-photic electrical responses. Other chapters cover pharmacology and toxicology, mechanisms of retinal adhesion and detachment, RPE pigments and transport, congenital and dystrophic diseases, animal models of RPE disease, and different aspects of age-related macular degeneration. The history and evolutionary aspects of the RPE are also presented. The contributing authors are experienced clinicians and eminent basic scientists who work on this critical part of the eye. The book will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in the eye, and a necessity for specialists in the fields of retinal physiology and retinal disease.