Retinal function

Retinal function refers to the physiological capacity of the retina to detect light stimuli and translate them into neural signals for visual perception [3, 11]. It is a macroscopic outcome of the coordinated activities of various retinal cell types, including photoreceptors (rods and cones), the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and the neural circuitry of the inner retina [1, 5, 14]. Unlike a specific receptor or enzyme, retinal function is not a discrete molecular target; rather, it is the primary clinical endpoint used to evaluate the efficacy of treatments for retinal diseases [3, 7]. Major conditions affecting retinal function include retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy [12, 13]. Therapeutic strategies—ranging from gene therapies targeting mutations in genes like RPGR or RPE65 to neuroprotective agents like Sigma-1 receptor ligands—aim to preserve or restore this function [2, 4, 10]. Objective assessments such as electroretinography (ERG) and microperimetry are the gold standards for quantifying retinal function and are critical for patient selection and efficacy monitoring in ophthalmic drug development [6, 8, 11].

Other names

Visual functionRetinal sensitivityPhotoreceptor functionOcular functionVisual sensitivity

Not applicable; retinal function is a physiological process and clinical endpoint rather than a molecular target for drug binding.