Abstract
Several aspects of visual function deteriorate with age, including visual acuity and contrast sensitivity (Morrison and McGrath, 1985; Owsley et al., 1983; Tulunay-Keesey et al., 1988; Elliot et al., 1990; for review see Sekuler and Owsley, 1982; Pitts, 1982). Optical changes (senile miosis, corneal and lens opacification) account for only some of the age-related losses, suggesting that they are at least in part neural (Wheale, 1975; Morrison and McGrath, 1985; Nameda et al, 1989). Neural losses can occur at any stage between the retina and the visual cortex (see for review Wheale, 1986; Ordy et al., 1982), but little is known about the relative contribution of the retina and the post-retinal visual pathway to the age-related dysfunction.