Ultrastructural study of primary canine and human pigmentary retinopathy.

An electron microscopic study was performed on eyes of Labrador dogs afflicted with progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). There was complete loss of photoreceptors, atrophy of the remaining retina and gliosis in the peripheral part while the central retina showed incomplete loss of photoreceptors and an almost total disappearance of photoreceptor outer segments. Melanin-bearing cells, largely containing melanolysosomes, were found deep inside the retina. This electron microscopic study also incorporated the retina of a middle-aged woman affected by retinopathia pigmentosa (RP). The fine structure of the diseased retina showed a similar pattern of lesions, more pronounced in the periphery of the retina. Similar electron microscopic findings between the two disease processes render PRA of the Labrador dog a useful model for a comparative study of the development and intraretinal spread of human RP.