Retinal pharmacology in the perfused cat eye.

Exclusion of extraocular variables facilitates neuropharmacological retinal experiments. Isolated tissue or organs such as arterially perfused mammalian eyes provide this advantage. Electrophysiology comprising field potentials (ERG and optic nerve response) and recordings from single cells is used to assess various levels of retinal information processing. Several directions of research using the perfused cat eye are indicated. Pharmacological studies are presented in a description of an approach to identify adrenergic mechanisms in the cat retina. Studies on effects of changes in physico-chemical parameters and on drug actions reveal a number of parallels to problems relevant in clinical eye research.