Study |
Age |
Total numbers |
Peak density (cones/mm2) |
Mean density (cones/mm2) |
Diameter of S-cone free zone (µm) |
Central-peripheral gradient* |
| Krause (1868) | -- |
7,000,000 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Salzer (1880) | -- |
3,360,000 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Østerberg (1935) | 16 |
6,400,000 |
147,300 |
5,300 |
-- |
-- |
| Polyak (1941) | -- |
>4,000,000 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
| Williams et al. (1981a) | -- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
118 |
-- |
| Yuodelis & Hendrickson (1986) | 37 |
-- |
208,203 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
72 |
-- |
119,868 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
| Nork et al. (1990) | -- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
38 |
-- |
| Curcio et al. (1990) | 44 |
4,720,000 |
311,000 |
4,260 |
-- |
83.6 |
27 |
-- |
98,200# |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
35 |
4,080,000 |
120,000 |
4,760 |
-- |
28.05 |
|
34 |
5,290,000 |
181,800 |
5,480 |
-- |
34.37 |
|
35-L+ |
4,250,000 |
166,300 |
3,850 |
-- |
51.57 |
|
35-R+ |
4,610,000 |
190,300 |
4,160 |
-- |
54.01 |
|
36 |
4,610,000 |
324,100 |
4,570 |
-- |
82.25 |
|
32 |
-- |
181,100 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
|
| Curcio et al. (1991) | -- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
100 |
-- |
* Peak density/mean density at eccentricities > 14 mm.
+ Fellow eyes; L - left eye; R - right eye.
# Not measured at foveal center.
Modified and expanded from Curcio et al., 1990, Table 2 by Ted Sharpe.
Ahnelt, P.K., Kolb, H. & Pflug, R. (1987). Identification of a subtype of cone photoreceptor, likely to be blue sensitive, in the human retina. Journal of Comparative Neurology 255, 18-34.
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Curcio, C.A., Sloan, K.R., Kalina, R.E. & Hendrickson, A.E. (1990). Human photoreceptor topography. Journal of Comparative Neurology 292, 497-523.
Curcio, C.A., Kimberly, A.A., Sloan, K.R., Lerea, C.L., Hurley, J.B., Klock, I.B. & Milam, A.H. (1991). Distribution and morphology of human cone photoreceptors stained with anti-blue opsin. Journal of Comparative Neurology 312, 610-624.
Krause, W. (1868). Über Stäbchen und Zapfen der Retina. Nachr. v. d. K. Gesells. d. Wiss. Göttingen, p. 163.
Nork, T.M., McCormick, S.A., Chao, G.-M. & Odom, J.V. (1990). Distribution of carbonic anhydrase among human photoreceptors. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science 31, 1451-1458.
Østerberg, G.A. (1935). Topography of the layer of rods and cones in the human retina. Acta Ophthalmologica 13 (Supplement 6) 1-97.
Polyak, S. (1941). The Retina. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Salzer, F. (1880). Über die Anzahl der Sehnerverfasern und der Retinazapfen im Auge des Menschen. Sitzungsbericht der K. Akad. d. Wiss., Wien (Vienna), Abth. 3, Mathem.-Naturwiss. Cl., v. 81, fasc. 1, p. 7.
Yuodelis, C. & Hendrickson, A. (1986). A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the human fovea during development. Vision Research 26, 847-855.
Williams, D., MacLeod, D.I.A. & Hayhoe, M. (1981). Punctate sensitivity of the blue sensitive mechanism. Vision Research 21, 1357-1375.