Disclosed are capsid-modified rAAV particles and expression vectors, as well as compositions and pharmaceutical formulations that comprise them. Also disclosed are methods of preparing and using novel capsid-protein-mutated particle or rAAV vector constructs in a variety of diagnostic and therapeutic applications including, inter alia, as delivery agents for diagnosis, treatment, or amelioration of one or more diseases, disorders, or dysfunctions of the mammalian eye. Also disclosed are methods for subretinal delivery of therapeutic gene constructs to mammalian photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelial cells, as well as use of the disclosed compositions in the manufacture of medicaments for a variety of in vitro and/or in vivo applications including the treatment of a variety of inherited retinal diseases.