[Visual evoked potentials in infants in health and hypoplasia of the optic nerve].

Visual evoked potentials (VEP) in response to chess field reversion were studied in 29 infants aged from 6 weeks to 1.5 years with optic nerve hypoplasia and in healthy age-matched controls. Analysis of VEP in healthy children showed that the interval between weeks 6-9 and 16-20 of life was the period of their most rapid maturation, this making this period in the development of the optic system of man particularly significant. Three types of VEP disorders were detected in patients with optic nerve hypoplasia; these types correlate with the size of the optic disk and behavioral reactions of a child. Together with the clinical data, VEP may be used for assessing the function of the optic system of children with optic nerve hypoplasia and for early diagnosis of this disease.