Screening

Our screening procedure starts with a primary search for gross eye abnormalities. Mice with a suspected abnormality are followed up with a secondary examination.

Our primary screening procedure includes:

I. We visually inspect for gross eye abnormalities by examining the eyelids, globe, cornea and iris.

II. Using a Nikon biomicroscope (slit lamp) examination, we check the cornea for clarity, size (bupthalmos vs. microcornea), surface texture and vascularization. The iris is checked for pupil size, constriction, reflected luminescence and synechia. The eye is then dilated with 1% atropine, and the lens is checked for cataract.

III. We use an indirect ophthalmoscope to examine the fundus for signs of retinal degeneration, such as retinal vessel constriction or retinal pigment epithelial disturbance, or for other problems, such as drusen or deposits or optic nervehead abnormalities.

IV. We use electroretinography (ERG) to test for retinal function loss.

Our secondary screening procedure:

Mice with a suspected abnormality are followed up by examining more mice of the same strain and genetically related strains. In addition, this second-level screen includes:

(1) electroretinography for suspected retinal problems

(2) histological check of all eye tissues

(3) comparison of mice at different ages to determine age of onset of the condition

(4) comparison of the new mutant's clinical features to those in established mutant eye stocks.

Mouse models of human hereditary eye diseases for which chromosomal locations have not been established:

Retinal Disorders

Cataract Models

Glaucoma Models

Other Eye Diseases