Global maps of the retina

As well as researching the strange sight of hagfish and lampreys, Shaun Collin has spent the last three years collecting maps of the distribution of cells in the retina. In association with the Optometrists Association Australia, some research assistants and a lot of hard work, Collin has created an immensely valuable resource of over 770 retinal topography maps covering 160 vertebrate species, all available online.

In what should prove a very powerful research archive, the resource will allow scientists to go online and ask new questions about visual ecology and the visual capabilities of all vertebrate animals, from the lowly lamprey up to humans. "These maps reveal what part of the visual world an animal is most interested in," he says.

"It can give you information about how clearly you see the world or visual acuity. The type of information gleaned from these maps allows predict a lot about the visual capabilities of a particular animal including in what sort of environment it lives and its ability to resolve objects at a particular distance i.e. by the spacing of the neurons across the retina. The archive bridges the gap in our understanding of how animals see and will be invaluable for learning more about animals that are hard to find or live in inhospitable places."

Collin says the resource will now allow scientists to look at the evolution of visual capabilities in relation to the visual field, visual acuity, the type of cells that are involved in processing an image, from lampreys right through to jawed fishes, amphibians, birds, reptiles and mammals."

Many of the maps depict the distribution of a range of retinal neurons such as the photoreceptors, horizontal cells, amacrine cells, bipolar cells and ganglion cells.

"We hope it won't just stop there," he says. "As new maps are completed and published, they will be added to the website. I also hope that scientists who have these maps sitting in a draw and haven't published them will do so online in order to make the archive as up to date and comprehensive as possible. We'd love to get as many maps as possible."

Collin has published a paper on the archive - "A web-based archive for topographic maps of retinal cell distribution in vertebrates" - in the journal Clinical and Experimental Optometry. The archive is at www.optometrists.asn.au/ceo/retinalsearch