The site of commencement of retinal maturation in the rabbit.

In the developing retina of the rabbit the ganglion cell layer can first be identified between E(embryonic day) 20 and 24, but the regional variations found in the adult retina, particularly the visual streak, are not well developed until shortly before birth. At about E31, the last day of gestation, the laminar structure of the retina begins to mature, cytogenesis begins to cease and the outer plexiform layer starts to form. These processes commence in far temporal retina, at or near the site of the area centralis, and spread preferentially along the visual streak.