Microdissection of the Rodent Eye

Ocular research in the earlier times mostly relied on the ocular tissue from deceased individuals. However, over the years, many ophthalmic rodent models have been developed and the need for human ocular tissue has diminished. Due to the small size and the limited area of operations in the rodent's eye, the effective access to the ocular subparts is severely constrained.

Typically, to operate on a rodent's eye, the eye is immobilized via the optic nerve and the dissection is performed. This practice is arduous and can damage the fragile tissue as the spherical eye continues to move during the dissection. Despite being beneficial in isolating the various sections of retinal layers, this technique cannot demarcate the spatial orientation of the tissue upon dissection of the tissue.