Differential effects of optic media opacities on simultaneous multifocal pattern electroretinograms and visual evoked potentials.

OBJECTIVE

To identify potential confounds in the comparison of simultaneously acquired multifocal electroretinograms (mfPERGs) and visual evoked potentials (mfVEPs) to pattern reversal stimulation.

METHODS

With VERIS Science 5.1.10X monocular mfPERGs and mfVEPs were recorded simultaneously to optimised pattern-reversal stimulation for a reference condition and two filter conditions, i.e. blur and 8% luminance transmission, in two separate experiments in participants with normal vision. The impact of the filter conditions on mfPERG amplitude (P50 and N95 peaks), mfVEP-magnitude (root-mean-squares and signal-to-noise-ratios), and on the response timing was assessed.

RESULTS

Blur reduced mfPERG P50 and N95 amplitudes to 16%, 21%, and mfVEP magnitude to 82%. Decreasing stimulus luminance to 8% reduced only the mfPERG (P50 to 72% and N95 to 74%), but delayed both mfPERG and mfVEP responses by 5.3 and 4.6ms, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Comparatively minor stimulus manipulations, mimicking optic media opacities, had a differential effect on mfPERGs and mfVEPs magnitudes.

SIGNIFICANCE

Simultaneous mfPERG/mfVEP recordings are a promising approach to compare retinal and cortical function, but caution must be exerted in the interpretation of response differences due to incongruent response characteristics.