Survival rate of retinal ganglion cells after optic nerve injury is associated with resistance to the autoimmune disease EAE. The RGCs of adult C57BL/6J, B10.PL, BALB/c/OLA (a), BALB/c/OLA, SJL/J, F1(SJL/J×BALB/c/OLA) (b), and C3H.SW and C3H/HeJ (c) mice were retrogradely labeled with the neurotracer dye FluoroGold injected stereotactically into the superior colliculus. Three days later, the mice were subjected to severe crush injury of the intraorbital portion of the optic nerve. One (a) or 2 (b, c) weeks after optic nerve crush injury, the retina was detached from the eye, prepared as a flattened whole mount, and examined for labeled RGCs by fluorescence microscopy. One week after the injury, survival rates were significantly lower in B10.PL and C57BL/6J mice than in resistant BALB/c/OLA mice (p < 0.01) (a). Similar results were obtained in SJL/J (p < 0.01) and F1(SJL/J×BALB/c/OLA) mice (p < 0.001), in which RGC survival rates were significantly lower than in the resistant BALB/c/OLA mice (b). RGC survival rates were significantly higher in C3H/HeJ mice (EAE-resistant) than in congenic (EAE-susceptible) C3H.SW mice (p < 0.001) (c). The average numbers of RGCs on the uninjured side were similar (∼3500 RGCs per square millimeter) in all mouse strains. **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001; Student'st test.)