Age-related Changes in the Visual Organ of WBN/Kob Rats

Changes in the visual organ with aging were investigated non-surgically in male WBN/Kob rats, in which spontaneous diabetic mellitus commonly occurs. Male Wistar/ST rats at the ages of 5, 9, 13, 17, 23, 27, 36, 45, 54, 67 and 80 weeks were examined for changes in the peri-orbital region, eyelid, lens, corpus vitreum and ocular fundus by macroscopic inspection and fundoscopy. The area around the eyelid was stained with reddish-brown excretions from the Harderian gland. This stain was frequently observed in rats of both strains aged 54 weeks or over, showing no difference in frequency between WBN/Kob rats and Wistar/ST rats. Lens opacity was observed in male WBN/Kob rats aged 67 weeks or over, and narrowing of the retinal artery and vein in those aged 36 weeks or over. The occurrence of lens opacity was consistent with that of visual dysfunction as determined by a test of the ability to differentiate light from dark using a Y-shaped apparatus (Kiyosawa et al., 1993).