The retina at the back of the eye converts light signals into a neural code of action potentials, which are sent to the brain via the optic nerve. Visual perception relies on these action potentials, but it has been extremely hard to link perception to this retinal code. Our lab has, over the last decade, developed a set of state-of-the-art tools that operate at extremely low light levels, allowing us to correlate perception with retinal coding in humans and mouse models. Now we build on these tools to address, in humans, how the detection of the dimmest shadows links to retinal function. We will use this information to conduct a comprehensive diagnostic of visual impairments in mouse models and humans, enabling us to obtain retinal pathway-specific mechanistic insights into these impairments.

2026

2029