Vision declines during normal aging and in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although the toxic role of amyloid beta (Ab) has been established in AD pathogenesis, its influence on the aging retina is unclear. Using APP(swe)/PS1 Delta E9 transgenic (TG) mice, a classical AD model, the retinal cell function and survival was assessed by electroretinogram (ERG) recordings and immunofluorescent stainings. Strikingly, photopic ERG measurements revealed that the retinal response mediated by cones was preserved in aging TG mice relative to WT controls. In contrast to the cortex, the expression of mutated APP(swe) and PS1 Delta E9 did not allow to detect Ab or amyloid plaques in 13-month-old male TG retinae. In addition, the CTF beta/CTF alpha ratio was significantly lower in retinal samples than that in cortical extracts, suggesting that the non-amyloidogenic pathway may endogenously limit Ab formation in the retina of male mice. Collectively, our data suggest that retinal-specific processing of amyloid may confer protection against AD and selectively preserve cone-dependent vision during aging. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.