Radiation Studies on the Monkey Eye

Abstract

The effects of ionizing radiation on the crystalline lens have received intensive study in the past decade; however, radiation studies on the retina have not been emphasized In an earlier investigation Co⁶⁰gamma radiation was delivered to the head region of young adult monkeys. Pyknosis of the visual cells occurred with doses as low as 2000 r; however, no attempt was made to establish a time threshold for the appearance of retinal abnormalities. It is the purpose of the present paper to describe the retinal changes found in a study of 48 monkeys which had been exposed to massive doses of Co⁶⁰gamma radiation delivered at a high dose rate. Our aim in this investigation was the determination of a time threshold for pyknosis of visual cells following a single dose of ionizing radiation, and also to ascertain whether this was a direct radiation effect. Fixed doses of