Development of retinal acuity in infants evaluated with pattern electroretinogram.

The electroretinographic (ERG) response to patterns of constant mean luminance (sinusoidal gratings reversed in contrast at 12 rev/s) has been recorded in infants 7 weeks to 6 months old. At each age the amplitude of the ERG for relatively fine gratings decreases with increasing spatial frequency and vanishes for a spatial frequency that can be defined as ERG acuity. It has been found that ERG acuity increases progressively with age. The acuity evaluated from cortical evoked potentials (VEP) recorded simultaneously with the ERG increases with age in parallel with ERG acuity. These findings are in agreement with data reported in the literature for the cat, indicating a parallel postnatal development of acuity at a retinal and cortical level.