Retinal Function in Parkinson's Disease
Retinal Function in Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by muscle rigidity,
 tremor, a slowing of physical movement (bradykinesia) and, in extreme cases, a loss of
 physical movement. The primary symptoms are the results of decreased stimulation of the motor
 cortex arising from the basal ganglia normally caused by the insufficient formation and
 action of dopamine, which is produced in the dopaminergic neurons of the brain. Secondary
 symptoms may include high level cognitive dysfunction and subtle language problems. Included
 in the symptomatology experienced by patients with PD, visual abnormalities are not uncommon.
 Visual changes among patients with PD appear not only dynamic in nature, but differentially
 affected based on the course of the disease and, perhaps more importantly, its treatment.
 Parkinson's disease has significant ramifications not only in observation of irregularities
 in vision, but how vision interacts with entrainment of the circadian clock. The purpose of
 this study is to examine the relationship between PD and operation of a unique set of retinal
 cells known to regulate the circadian clock and sleep-wake cycles in human subjects.
Inclusion Criteria: age 18-64 best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 or better in each eye -

 Exclusion Criteria: evidence of any form of eye disease, inability to understand and sign
 informed consent.

 -