01/08/2026
UW Ophthalmology researchers have validated an approach to measuring how rod photoreceptors, the cells in our eyes responsible for night vision, respond to light in living eyes. The approach might one day enable earlier detection of serious eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
In studying the normal, healthy retinas of humans and rats, the investigators reported seeing consistent cellular-level responses to a prescribed amount of light: The outer segments of the rod photoreceptors shrank immediately and rapidly, then slowly elongated.
"This is the first time we've been able to see this happen in rod cells in a living eye," explained Ram Sabesan, PhD, Kren associate professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He was co-corresponding author of the study, published this week in the journal Light: Science & Applications.
The findings, he said, reinforce the feasibility of a fledgling technology called optoretinography. In just a few years, it has emerged as a tool that might predictably display molecular hints of retinal disease earlier than any conventional diagnostic instrument.
“Rod dysfunction is one of the earliest signs of many retinal diseases, including AMD and retinitis pigmentosa,” Sabesan said. “Being able to directly monitor the rods’ response to light gives us a powerful tool for early detection and tracking treatment responses.”
https://ophthalmology.washington.edu/news/study-validates-split-second-exam-of-retinal-health
UW Ophthalmology researchers have validated an approach to measuring how rod photoreceptors, the cells in our eyes responsible for night vision, respond to light in living eyes. The approach might one day enable earlier detection of serious eye diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMD). ....
