Can the enucleated vertebrate eye give an electrical response to illumination ?

Abstract From an enucleated cat's eye illuminated with a xenon flash lamp, potential changes can be recorded that have no measurable latent period. Illumination of a cat's eye preserved at -6° C. for 24 hours, and of two unprotected electrodes in 0.9 % Nacl solution, showed similar potential changes. These potential changes disappear when an infra-red absorbing filter is inserted between the xenon lamp and the eye. Under these conditions no electrical activity on illumination of the enucleated cat's eye can be shown. The potential changes observed without use of the infra-red absorbing filter have nothing to do with the retina and are due to a photoelectric effect which occurs on the electrode surface. Illumination of an enucleated frog's eye immediately after enucleation gives a potential change which remains when the infra-red absorbing filter is used, shows a definite latent period, and is identical in shape with the ERG of the frog's eye in situ.