RETINAL PIGMENT

EPITHELIUM
RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM

Monolayer of hexagonal cells

Extends anteriorly from the optic disc to the ora
serrata
Merges with the pigmented epithelium of the ciliary
body
 THE FUNCTIONS OF RPE
Vitamin A metabolism
Maintenance of the outer blood-retina barrier
Phagocytosis of the photoreceptor outer segments
Absorption of light (reduction of scatter)
Heat exchange
Formation of the basal lamina
Production of the mucopolysaccharide matrix
Active transport of materials in and out of the RPE
THE ANATOMY OF RPE
 REGIONAL DIFFERENCES OF
RETINA AND RPE
Retina REP
Thickest in papillomacular
(0.23 mm)
Thinnest in foveola (0.10
mm) and ora serrata (0.11
mm)
vary from 10-60 µm
cells in fovea taller and
thinner, contain more
melanosomes
cells in periphery shorter,
broader, and less
pigmented
 MELANOSOME

Multiple round and ovoid pigment granules

Contained in cytoplasm of REP cells
Develop in situ during formation of the optic cup and
first appear as nonmelanized premelanosomes.
Their development contrasts sharply with that of the
pigment granules in uveal melanocytes
 LIPOFUSCIN

Arise from the discs of photoreceptor outer segments

Represent residual bodies arising from phagosomal
activity.
This so-called wear-and-tear pigment
Less electron-dense than the melanosomes
Its concentration increases with age
Histologically, it stains with Sudan stain and exhibits a
golden yellow autofluorescence.
 PHAGOSOMES

Membrane-enclosed packets of disc outer segments

that have been engulfed by the RPE.
Several stages of disintegration are evident at any
given time.
Shedding and degradation of the membranes of rod
and cone outer segments folIow a diurnal rhythm
synchronized with daily fluctuations of
environmental light
The cytoplasm of the RPE also contains numerous:

Mitochondria (involved in aerobic metabolism)

Rough -surfaced endoplasmic reticulum
Golgi apparatus
Large round nucleus
 DRUSEN
Throughout life, incompletely digested material are
excreted beneath the basal lamina of the RPE.
These contribute to the formation of drusen,
accumulations of this extracellular material.
Vary in size, classified by funduscopic appearance (hard
or soft drusen).
Located between the basement membrane of the RPE
cells and the inner collagenous zone of Bruch's
membrane.
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