Comparative effects of luminance and scatter on the pattern visual evoked potential and eye-hand reaction time.

We investigated the effect of reduced luminance and increased scatter on the pattern visual evoked potential and eye-hand reaction time evoked to a check size of 0.5 degrees in 10 normal subjects. Data analysis indicated that a reduction in luminance as well as an increase in scatter caused a statistically significant increase in the peak time of the pattern visual evoked potential P100 wave. The reaction time, however, was not significantly affected by the initial 0.9-log unit attenuation of the stimulus luminance or the 0.3 scatter filter. Further attenuation of luminance or increase of scatter also yielded statistically significant increases. Our results suggest that the reaction time is less affected by a reduction in luminance or an increase in scatter of a 0.5 degrees stimulus than the pattern visual evoked potential is and therefore represents a more reliable test to assess visual function, especially in the presence of medial opacities, which are known to reduce luminance and produce scatter.