Adaptive optics retinal imaging in patients with usher syndrome.

Purpose: To determine the structure of the cone photoreceptor mosaic in the macula in eyes with retinitis pigmentosa related to Usher syndrome using adaptive optics fundus (AO) imaging and to correlate these findings with those of the standard clinical diagnostics. Methods: Ten patients with a genetically confirmed retinitis pigmentosa in Usher syndrome due to biallelic variants in MYO7A or USH2A were enrolled in the study. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination including best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) with fundus autofluorescence photography (FAF), full-field (ffERG) and multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) and Adaptive Optics Flood Illuminated Ophthalmoscopy (AO, rtx1™, Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France). The cone density was assessed centrally and at each 0.5 degree horizontally and vertically from 1-4 degree of eccentricity. Results: In the AO images, photoreceptor cell death was visualized as a disruption of the cone mosaic and low cone density. In the early stage of the disease, cones were still visible in the fovea, whereas outside the fovea a loss of cones was recognizable by blurry, dark patches. The blurry patches corresponded to the parafoveal hypofluorescent ring in the FAF images and the beginning loss of the IS/OS line and external limiting membrane in the SD-OCT images. FfERGs were non-recordable in 7 patients and reduced in 3. The mfERG was reduced in all patients and correlated significantly (p <0.001) with the cone density. The kinetic visual field area, measured with III4e and I4e, did not correlate with the cone density. Conclusion: The structure of the photoreceptors in Usher syndrome patients were detectable by AO fundus imaging. The approach of using high-resolution technique to assess the photoreceptor structure complements the established clinical examinations and allows a more sensitive monitoring of early stages of retinitis pigmentosa in Usher syndrome.

Defining reference values of arterioles in healthy individuals for studies with adaptive optics imaging.

Purpose: To investigate age-dependent wall to lumen ratio (WLR) reference values for healthy individuals in adaptive optics imaging (AO). WLR serves as an objective, dimensionless parameter for the evaluation of structural changes in vessels caused by conditions like arterial hypertension, diabetes or vascular stenosis. Methods: 50 right eyes of healthy individuals were examined by adaptive optics imaging. The central big arterioles and smaller arterial branches at least one disc diameter away from the optic disc, approximately above or below the macula were measured by the manufacturer's software. The wall-lumen-ratio (WLR), the wall cross-sectional area (WCSA) and lumen diameter (LD) were assessed. Subsequent data analysis was performed with a focus on variables including age, gender and blood pressure. Results: Normative values for WLR, WCSA and LD in 5 different age groups could be established. However, no significant differences between the age groups were found. Intra-subject comparisons revealed significantly higher WLRs on peripheral branches when compared to central arterioles. WLR showed in this normotensive cohort no relevant correlation with the systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure. Gender and intraocular pressure had no influence on the vascular parameters. Conclusion: AO is capable of examining vascular alterations in arterioles at an almost microscopic level. Age did not seem to alter WLR, normotensive blood pressure parameters showed also no significant impact. AO-based vessel analysis may provide clinically useful biomarkers for cardiovascular health and should be tested in future studies.

S-cone contribution to oscillatory potentials in patients with blue cone monochromacy.

PURPOSE: The aim of this exploratory study is to investigate the role of S-cones in oscillatory potentials (OPs) generation by individuals with blue-cone monochromacy (BCM), retaining S-cones, and achromatopsia (ACHM), lacking cone functions. METHODS: This retrospective study analyzed data from 39 ACHM patients, 20 BCM patients, and 26 controls. Central foveal thickness was obtained using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, while amplitude and implicit time (IT) of a- and b-waves were extracted from the ISCEV Standard dark-adapted 3 cd.s.m-2 full-field ERG (ffERG). Time-frequency analysis of the same measurement enabled the extraction of OPs, providing insights into the dynamic characteristics of the recorded signal. RESULTS: Both ACHM and BCM groups showed a significant reduction (p < .00001) of a- and b-wave amplitudes and ITs as well as the power of the OPs compared to the control groups. The comparison between ACHM and BCM didn't show any statistically significant differences in the electrophysiological parameters. The analysis of covariance revealed significantly reduced central foveal thickness in the BCM group compared to ACHM and controls (p < .00001), and in ACHM compared to controls (p < .00001), after age correction and Tukey post-hoc analysis. CONCLUSIONS: S-cones do not significantly influence OPs, and the decline in OPs' power is not solely due to a reduced a-wave. This suggests a complex non-linear network influenced by photoreceptor inputs. Morphological changes don't correlate directly with functional alterations, prompting further exploration of OPs' function and physiological role.

Comprehensive analysis of two hotspot codons in the TUBB4B gene and associated phenotypes.

Our purpose was to elucidate the genotype and ophthalmological and audiological phenotype in TUBB4B-associated inherited retinal dystrophy (IRD) and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and to model the effects of all possible amino acid substitutions at the hotspot codons Arg390 and Arg391. Six patients from five families with heterozygous missense variants in TUBB4B were included in this observational study. Ophthalmological testing included best-corrected visual acuity, fundus examination, optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence imaging, and full-field electroretinography (ERG). Audiological examination included pure-tone and speech audiometry in adult patients and auditory brainstem response testing in a child. Genetic testing was performed by disease gene panel analysis based on genome sequencing. The molecular consequences of the substitutions of residues 390 and 391 on TUBB4B and its interaction with α-tubulin were predicted in silico on its three-dimensional structure obtained by homology modelling. Two independent patients had amino acid exchanges at position 391 (p.(Arg391His) or p.(Arg391Cys)) of the TUBB4B protein. Both had a distinct IRD phenotype with peripheral round yellowish lesions with pigmented spots and mild or moderate SNHL, respectively. Yet the phenotype was milder with a sectorial pattern of bone spicules in one patient, likely due to a genetically confirmed mosaicism for p.(Arg391His). Three patients were heterozygous for an amino acid exchange at position 390 (p.(Arg390Gln) or p.(Arg390Trp)) and presented with another distinct retinal phenotype with well demarcated pericentral retinitis pigmentosa. All showed SNHL ranging from mild to severe. One additional patient showed a variant distinct from codon 390 or 391 (p.(Tyr310His)), and presented with congenital profound hearing loss and reduced responses in ERG. Variants at codon positions 390 and 391 were predicted to decrease the structural stability of TUBB4B and its complex with α-tubulin, as well as the complex affinity. In conclusion, the twofold larger reduction in heterodimer affinity exhibited by Arg391 substitutions suggested an association with the more severe retinal phenotype, compared to the substitution at Arg390.

Comparison of Full-Field Stimulus Threshold Measurements in Patients With Retinitis Pigmentosa and Healthy Subjects With Dilated and Nondilated Pupil.

Purpose: The common protocol of full-field stimulus threshold (FST) testing recommends pupil dilation. The aim of this study is to investigate the difference between FST measurements with dilated and nondilated pupils in healthy subjects and patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Methods: Twenty healthy subjects and 20 RP patients were selected. One pupil of each subject was dilated; the other eye was measured in physiological width of the pupil. The FST was conducted using Diagnosys Espion E2/E3 with white, blue, and red stimuli. Statistical analysis was conducted with a mixed-model analysis of variance and a paired t-test. Results: The statistical analysis revealed a significant difference between measurements of dilated and nondilated pupils with the following: blue stimuli for all subjects and groups except those with highly progressed RP; white stimuli for all tested subjects in total, for RP patients with better-preserved visual field (VF), and rod-mediated FST response; and red stimuli for RP patients with better-preserved VF and rod-mediated FST response. On average, the difference between the FST values for RP patients were -3.2 ± 3 dB for blue, -2.3 ± 2.9 dB for white, and -0.83 ± 3 dB for red stimuli. The correlation between the FST values of dilated and nondilated pupils with all three stimuli was linear. Conclusions: Current recommendations are to perform FST with dilated pupils. However, based on this study's findings, pupil dilation can be omitted for clinical diagnostics or rough follow-ups. Translational Relevance: Our data provide useful information for the clinical use of FST.

Chorioretinal Atrophy Growth After Voretigene Neparvovec Retinotopically Is Connected to Retinal Functional Rescue.

Purpose: Chorioretinal atrophy growth after voretigene neparvovec has been reported recently with its positive correlation with successful treatment. This finding raised the question on long-term effects and the etiology of the chorioretinal atrophy. Methods: Using local retinal functional diagnostics, we tested whether the atrophy growth is connected to the initial local functional improvement after the therapy. Results: The results describe factors predicting the development of atrophy. First, the atrophy emerges after approximately 3 months in an area with local functional rescue before. The areas of the greatest gain in the number of functionally rescued rods are prone to be the initial spots of atrophy growth in almost one-half of the cases and the retinotopy corresponds with the area of a high number of post-treatment functioning rods. Second, the dark-adapted perimetry shows that the atrophy growth is in the area with functioning rescued rods. However, the rods with the greatest sensitivity gain are not the parts of the growing atrophy in the first 2 years after intervention. This preservation of rods with the greatest sensitivity seems to explain the excellent profile of rods rescue over the long term measured by full-field stimulus threshold and reported earlier. Conclusions: A disbalance between the increase of functional rods and their threshold shortly after treatment could be an indicator for a metabolic origin of chorioretinal atrophy after voretigene neparvovec. Translational Relevance: A basic understanding of the photoreceptor rescue aspects after gene therapy can demonstrate a metabolic causal influence of the efficacy on the development of side effects, such as chorioretinal atrophy.

A morphometric analysis of the retinal arterioles with adaptive optics imaging in RPE65-associated retinal dystrophy after treatment with voretigene neparvovec.

PURPOSE: To investigate the changes in retinal arterial architecture after treatment with voretigene neparvovec in patients with retinal dystrophy caused by bi-allelic mutations in the RPE65 gene. METHODS: Sixteen eyes treated with voretigene neparvovec at the University Eye Clinic in Tuebingen, Germany, underwent adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy (AO) imaging at baseline and 2 weeks, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment. Follow-up was performed in six eyes of four patients. For each eye, five different positions at arterial vessels were selected and the wall-to-lumen ratio (WLR), the lumen diameter (LD) and the wall cross-sectional area (WCSA) were measured by the manufacturer's software over the observational period. RESULTS: Vast retinal atrophy dominated all gained AO images. WLR fluctuated in the observation period without statistically significant change. LD and WCSA changed significantly after 2 weeks from the baseline examination and returned to values similar to baseline thereafter. There were no signs of inflammation such as macrophages or perivascular accumulated fluid visible. CONCLUSION: AO imaging of the retinal vessels in RPE65-associated retinal dystrophies (IRD) is challenging. There was no change in the retinal arterial vasculature over the observation period of 12 months that would indicate inflammatory changes. Decrease of the LD and WCSA shortly after treatment might be caused by the perioperative prednisolone intake. AO of retinal vessels can be used as a diagnostic module to complement monitoring the disease and effects of genetic treatments if the acquisition is possible in selected cases.

Multi-luminance mobility testing after gene therapy in the context of retinal functional diagnostics.

BACKGROUND: Voretigene neparvovec (Luxturna®) is the first approved gene therapy for RPE65-linked Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA). Though individual effects are highly variable, most recipients report improved vision in everyday life. To describe such effects, visual navigation tests are now frequently used in clinical trials. However, it is still unclear how their results should be interpreted compared to conventional parameters of visual function. METHODS: Seven LCA patients underwent a multi-luminance visual navigation test (Ora-VNCTM) before and 3 months after receiving Luxturna gene therapy. Their performance was rated based on the luminance level at which they passed the course. Differences between the first and second test were correlated to changes in visual acuity, full-field stimulus thresholds, chromatic pupil campimetry, and dark-adapted perimetry. RESULTS: A few patients displayed notable improvements in conventional measures of visual function whereas patients with advanced retinal degeneration showed no relevant changes. Independent of these results, almost all participants improved in the visual navigation task by one or more levels. The improvement in the mobility test was best correlated to the change in full-field stimulus thresholds. Other measures of visual functions showed no clear correlation with visual navigation. DISCUSSION: In patients who passed the test's more difficult levels, improved visual navigation can be attributed to the reactivation of rods. However, the performance of patients with low vision seemed to depend much more on confounding factors in the easier levels. In sum, such tests might only be meaningful for patients with better preserved visual functions.

Rod and Cone Function Measured Objectively by Chromatic Pupil Campimetry Show a Different Preservation Between Distinct Genotypes in Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Purpose: Verifying whether specific genotypes causing retinitis pigmentosa (RP) show differences in the preservation of rod and cone function measured by chromatic pupil campimetry (CPC). Methods: Sixty-three RP eyes (37 male, 14-58 years) were measured using CPC with specific photopic and scotopic protocols, and the relative maximal constriction amplitudes and latencies to constriction onset were analyzed per genotype (RP due to variants in EYS, n = 14; PDE6A, n = 10; RPE65, n = 15; USH2A, n = 10; and RPGR, n = 14). Correlation analyses between the pupillary responses were performed with age, full-field stimulus threshold (FST), and optical coherence tomography (OCT) for cones and rods, respectively, to the genotype. Results: Pupillary responses were most severely reduced in RPE65-RP. Patients with disease-associated variants in EYS and USH2A were accompanied with better-preserved rod function compared with the other subgroups, reaching statistical significance between EYS and RPE65. Cone function was statistically significantly correlated with age in USH2A-RP with an annual decline of 2.4%. Correlations of pupillary responses were found with FST but barely with the ellipsoid zone area in OCT. Latency was significantly more prolonged in RPE65-RP compared with the other genotypes for cones. Conclusions: Rod and cone function measured objectively by CPC showed a different preservation between genotypes in RP. However, heterogeneity inside the same genotype was present. CPC data correlated with FST, but structural OCT parameters seem to be limited indicators for photoreceptor function in RP. Prolonged time dynamics for cones in RPE65 mutations suggest an impact on cone processing and might provide additional information in the evaluation of therapy effects.

Photoreceptor-Specific Temporal Contrast Sensitivities in RP1L1-Associated Occult Macular Dystrophy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare L-, M-, S-cone-, and rod-driven temporal contrast sensitivities (tCS) in patients with RP1L1-associated autosomal-dominant occult macular dystrophy (OMD), and to investigate how photoreceptor degeneration determines which post-receptoral channels dominate perception. Methods: Photoreceptor isolating stimuli were created with the silent substitution technique. Photoreceptor-selective tCS deviations (D L-cone/M-cone/S-cone/Rod) were obtained as a function of temporal frequency with identical retinal adaptation, by subtracting tCS from age-corrected normal values. A linear-mixed effects model was used for analysis. Results: Eleven genetically confirmed patients were included (7 women, 5 men; age = 52.27 ± 14.44 years). Overall, L- and M-cone-driven sensitivity deviations (DL-cone and DM-cone) were more negative than DS-cone; DRod was normal at frequencies between 8 and 12 Hz in all subjects. Rod-driven tCS functions allowed identification of two subgroups of patients: one with band-pass properties and one with low-pass properties, suggesting dominance of different post-receptoral filters. The same filtering properties were observed in L-cone-driven tCS functions. Furthermore, the two subgroups also differed in clinical parameters (spherical equivalent, BCVA, perimetry, and ocular coherence tomography (OCT) reflectivity of the ellipsoid zone relative to the RPE). Conclusions: OMD was characterized predominantly by deterioration of L- and M-cone-cone driven function in the perifovea. Rod-driven functions were normal. Differences in the photoreceptor signals were further modified by postreceptoral filters.

Full-field Scotopic Threshold Improvement after Voretigene Neparvovec-rzyl Treatment Correlates with Chorioretinal Atrophy.

PURPOSE: To analyze demographic and ophthalmic data in patients with and without chorioretinal atrophy after voretigene neparvovec-rzyl (VN) to identify possible causes for this phenomenon. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study with longitudinal follow-up. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 71 eyes of 38 patients aged 2 to 44 years with RPE65-mediated retinal dystrophy treated with VN across 2 large gene therapy centers in the United States and Germany. METHODS: Patients treated with VN who developed atrophy were compared with those who did not. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Gender, age, surgical center, spherical equivalent refraction, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), baseline full-field scotopic threshold testing (FST), and posttreatment change in FST. RESULTS: A total of 20 eyes of 12 patients developed atrophy after treatment with VN (28% of all eyes). There was no significant difference in gender, age, surgical center, or spherical equivalent refraction between the atrophy group and the no atrophy group. However, patients between school age and young adulthood were predominantly affected, whereas the youngest and the oldest patients did not develop atrophy. Baseline BCVA was better in patients who developed atrophy than those who did not (P = 0.006). The postoperative improvement in FST at 1 month was significantly higher in the atrophy group than in the no atrophy group (P = 0.0005), and this difference remained statistically significant at 1 year (P = 0.0001). There was no correlation to baseline FST, to inflammation, or to which eye was treated first. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of FST improvement after VN appears to be strongly correlated with the development of VN-related chorioretinal atrophy. This finding raises the possibility that atrophy may develop as a toxic or metabolic sequela of vector-mediated RPE65 expression. In light of the expanding number of retinal gene therapy clinical trials, this complication warrants further study because it may not be limited to VN. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Development of retinal atrophy after subretinal gene therapy with voretigene neparvovec.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Voretigene neparvovec (VN) is the first and only subretinal gene therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. Real-world application has started in 2018 in patients with vision impairment due to biallelic retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) 65 mutation-associated inherited retinal degenerations. Herein, we evaluated the development of retinal atrophy within in a single-centre patient cohort treated with VN. METHODS: 13 eyes of eight patients treated with VN were retrospectively analysed for areas of retinal atrophy over a period of 6-24 months following surgery. Ultrawide field images were used to measure the area of atrophy. Fundus autofluorescence imaging is presented as an instrument for early detection of signs of retinal atrophy in these patients. RESULTS: Atrophic changes beyond the retinotomy site were observed in all eyes. Areas of atrophy developed within the area of detachment (bleb) in all eight patients and outside the bleb in three patients. Changes in autofluorescence preceded the development of retinal atrophy and were already evident 2 weeks after surgery in the majority of patients. The areas of atrophy increase with time and progression continued over year 1. Functional outcomes remained stable (VA, FST, visual field). CONCLUSION: Subretinal injection of VN can lead to RPE atrophy with consequent photoreceptor loss in and outside of the bleb area. Fundus autofluorescence is an important tool to monitor atrophic changes in patients after gene therapy. Interestingly, while areas of atrophy also included central areas, the functional benefits of the treatment did not appear to be affected and remained stable.

Frequency-dependent retinal responsiveness to sinusoidal electrical stimulation in achromatopsia.

Recently, we proposed a method to assess cell-specific retinal functions based on the frequency-dependent responses to sinusoidal transcorneal electrostimulation. In this study, we evaluated the alterations in responsiveness in achromatopsia patients to explore the frequency-selectivity of photoreceptors. The electrical stimulation was applied to one eye of genetically confirmed achromatopsia patients via corneal electrodes. The stimulus was composed of amplitude-modulated sine waves with variable carrier frequencies (4-30 Hz) and a steady low-frequency envelope. The retinal responsiveness across the spectrum was calculated based on the velocity and the synchronicity of the electrically evoked pupillary oscillations. Achromats displayed a characteristic peak in responsiveness in the 6-10 Hz range. In contrast, stimulus frequencies above 16 Hz elicited only weak pupil responses and weak phosphenes. Compared to the tuning curve of the healthy retina, responses to low-frequency stimulation appear to reflect mainly rod activation while higher frequencies seem to activate cones. The possibility to examine cell-specific retinal functions independently from their responses to light may improve our understanding of the structural changes in the retina induced by gene therapy.

Therapy with voretigene neparvovec. How to measure success?

Retinal gene supplementation therapy such as the first approved one, voretigene neparvovec, delivers a functioning copy of the missing gene enabling the protein transcription in retinal cells and restore visual functions. After gene supplementation for the genetic defect, a complex network of functional regeneration is the consequence, whereas the extent is very individualized. Diagnostic and functional testings that have been used routinely by ophthalmologists so far to define the correct diagnosis, cannot be applied in the new context of defining small, sometimes subtle changes in visual functions. New view on retinal diagnostics is needed to understand this processes that define safety and efficacy of the treatment. Not only does vision have many aspects that must be addressed by specific evaluations and imaging techniques, but objective readouts of local retinal function for rods and cones separately have been an unmet need until recently. A reliable test-retest variability is necessary in rare diseases such as inherited retinal dystrophies, because statistics are often not applicable due to a low number of participants. Methods for a reliable individual evaluation of the therapy success are needed. In this manuscript we present an elaboration on retinal diagnostics combining psychophysics (eg. full-field stimulus threshold or dark adapted perimetry) as well as objective measures for local retinal function (eg. photopic and scotopic chromatic pupil campimetry) and retinal imaging for a meaningful workflow to apply in evaluation of the individual success in patients receiving gene therapy for photoreceptor diseases.

Ophthalmic and Genetic Features of Bardet Biedl Syndrome in a German Cohort.

The aim of this study was to characterize the ophthalmic and genetic features of Bardet Biedl (BBS) syndrome in a cohort of patients from a German specialized ophthalmic care center. Sixty-one patients, aged 5−56 years, underwent a detailed ophthalmic examination including visual acuity and color vision testing, electroretinography (ERG), visually evoked potential recording (VEP), fundus examination, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Adaptive optics flood illumination ophthalmoscopy was performed in five patients. All patients had received diagnostic genetic testing and were selected upon the presence of apparent biallelic variants in known BBS-associated genes. All patients had retinal dystrophy with morphologic changes of the retina. Visual acuity decreased from ~0.2 (decimal) at age 5 to blindness 0 at 50 years. Visual field examination could be performed in only half of the patients and showed a concentric constriction with remaining islands of function in the periphery. ERG recordings were mostly extinguished whereas VEP recordings were reduced in about half of the patients. The cohort of patients showed 51 different likely biallelic mutations­of which 11 are novel­in 12 different BBS-associated genes. The most common associated genes were BBS10 (32.8%) and BBS1 (24.6%), and by far the most commonly observed variants were BBS10 c.271dup;p.C91Lfs*5 (21 alleles) and BBS1 c.1169T>G;p.M390R (18 alleles). The phenotype associated with the different BBS-associated genes and genotypes in our cohort is heterogeneous, with diverse features without genotype−phenotype correlation. The results confirm and expand our knowledge of this rare disease.

Cell-specific electrical stimulation of human retinal neurons assessed by pupillary response dynamics in vivo.

Studies on the electrical excitability of retinal neurons show that photoreceptors and other cell types can be selectively activated by distinct stimulation frequencies in vitro. Yet, this principle still needs to be validated in humans in vivo. As a first step, this study explored the frequency preferences of human rods by means of transcorneal electrostimulation (TES), using the electrically-elicited pupillary responses (EEPRs) as an objective readout. The stimulation paradigm contained a 1.2 Hz sinusoidal envelope, which was superimposed on variable carrier frequencies (4-30 Hz). These currents were delivered to one of the participant's eyes via a corneal electrode and consensual pupillary reactions were recorded from the contralateral eye. The responsiveness of the retina at each frequency was assessed based on the EEPR dynamics. Differences between healthy participants and patients with retinitis pigmentosa were evaluated to identify the preferred frequency range of rods. The responsiveness of healthy individuals revealed a clear peak around 6-8 Hz. In contrast, the pupillary responses of patients were significantly reduced in the lower frequency range. These findings suggest that the responses in this frequency bin were selectively mediated by rods. This work provides evidence that different retinal cell types can be selectively activated via TES in vivo, and that this effect can be captured noninvasively using EEPRs. This knowledge may be exploited for the diagnostics and therapy of retinal diseases, e.g., to design cell-specific functional tests for the degenerating retina, or to optimize stimulation paradigms which are currently used by retinal prostheses.

Evaluation of Local Rod and Cone Function in Stargardt Disease.

Purpose: In this study, chromatic pupil campimetry (CPC) was used to map local functional degenerative changes of cones and rods in Stargardt disease (STGD1). Methods: 19 patients (age 36 ± 8 years; 12 males) with genetically confirmed ABCA4 mutations and a clinical diagnosis of STGD1 and 12 age-matched controls (age 37 ± 11 years; 2 males) underwent scotopic (rod-favoring) and photopic (cone-favoring) CPC. CPC evaluates the local retinal function in the central 30° visual field via analysis of the pupil constriction to local stimuli in a gaze-corrected manner. Results: Scotopic CPC revealed that the rod function of patients with STGD1 inside the 30° visual field was not impaired when compared with age-matched controls. However, a statistically significant faster pupil response onset time (∼ 40 ms) was observed in the measured area. Photopic CPC showed a significant reduction of the central cone function up to 6°, with a minor, non-significant reduction beyond this eccentricity. The time dynamic of the pupillary response in photopic CPC did not reveal differences between STGD1 and controls. Conclusions: The functional analysis of the macular region in STGD1 disease indicates reduced central cone function, corresponding to photoreceptor degeneration. In contrast, the rod function in the central area was not affected. Nevertheless, some alteration of the time dynamics in the rod system was observed indicating a complex effect of cone degeneration on the functional performance of the rod system. Our results should be considered when interpreting safety and efficacy in interventional trials of STGD1.