High-pass resolution perimetry: central-field neuroretinal correlates.

Minimum angles of resolution (MAR) were measured at 0-10 deg horizontal eccentricity in three normal subjects, using high-pass spatial frequency filtered targets, at four different contrast levels. Results were correlated with recent data on human cone and ganglion cell separations in corresponding retinal locations. MARs and cone separations showed a close proportionality through the origin for all contrast levels. Ganglion cell correlates were more difficult to elucidate as the cell bodies are displaced from their input cones. Taking a functional estimate of the displacement into account, the number of ganglion cells appeared to be large enough to uphold an "effective" distribution that obeys the same proportional relationship to MAR that previously has been demonstrated outside 10 deg. Analysis of the nature of age effects provided support for this model.