Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by rapid head acceleration produces visual impairments from damage to the optic nerve (ON), as well as widespread perturbations of the central visual system. Widely used mouse and rat models have limitations in translational relevance due to their nocturnal habits and rod-dominant retinas. In contrast, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) is diurnal and possesses a cone-dominant retina with high retinal ganglion cell (RGC) d