Numerous experiments have revealed the nature of the electrical response to light of excised animal eyes.1 To our knowledge, no report exists of the recording of the ERG from the surface of the human retina.
Recently human retinal tissue immediately following enucleation has become available. Eyes removed for tumor or glaucoma which have had normal or only somewhat reduced ERG prior to enucleation have been brought to the electrophysiology laboratory within one minute following enucleation, and the retina has been subjected to study.
Methods
Immediately following enucleation a piece of retina approximately 1 cm. square was removed along with the sclera and choroid. This was done by as atraumatic a technique as possible. The tissue was placed in a sterile, clean Petri dish and covered with saline or a Ginsberg maintenance solution, ordinarily used for tissue culture. In some instances a second piece was removed; the retina, stripped from