Rat retinal morphological and visual function changes after optic nerve crush.

Objective To observe changes of the features of morphological of retina and visual function after optic nerve crush of adult rat. Methods The change of retinal ganglion cell(RGC) was observed using light microscope,and flash-visual evoked potential(F-VEP) was recorded in normal and optic nerve crush rats. Results The number of retinal ganglion cells reduced significantly due to partial lesion of optic nerve crush.An initial loss was accelerated by 1 week after nerve crush,the later decline was protracted in RGC densities.The latency extended and the amplitude was depressed one day after crush. Conclusion The excessive and secondary loss of RGC due to the secondary degeneration following optic nerve crush,which has relative relation with time.This has important significance for valuing and improving visual function.