Retinal adhesion in light- and dark-adapted rabbits.

The effects of pigmentation and light exposure on retinal adhesion in rabbits have been investigated in a complete factorial experiment. Ocular pigmentation did not significantly influence retinal adhesion. A significant difference in retinal adhesive forces was found between light and dark adaptation. The force required to detach the retina from the retinal pigment epithelium was 20 per cent greater in light-adapted eyes than in dark-adapted eyes. These observations suggest that the positional change of rhodopsin molecules in the outer segment disk membranes occurring with light exposure and the resultant alteration in interdisk electrostatic forces may play an important role in retinal adhesion.