Multifocal ERG and VEP responses and visual fields: comparing disease-related changes.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Static visual perimetry and multifocal techniques assess retinal and optic tract diseases.
• Both implicit time and amplitude of multifocal ERG (mERG) or VEP (mVEP) are crucial measures.
• Disease impact can selectively affect amplitude or implicit time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish relationships between static perimetry and multifocal electrophysiology measures.
• To describe these relationships in specific retinal and optic tract diseases.
• To address challenges in comparing data from different stimulus displays and response spacing.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative comparison by overlaying multifocal response amplitude/implicit time onto visual field plots.
• Quantitative comparison via modified perimeter software aligning test spots with multifocal stimuli.
• Quantitative comparison using interpolation to estimate multifocal display region thresholds from standard perimetry locations.

Main Results:

• The relationship between visual fields and multifocal responses varies based on the primary affected area.
• Outer retina diseases (e.g., retinitis pigmentosa) show distinct patterns.
• Ganglion cell (glaucoma) and optic nerve diseases (e.g., ischemic optic neuropathy, optic neuritis) exhibit different relationships.

Conclusions:

• Quantitative comparison methods enable a direct mapping between visual field and multifocal measures.
• Understanding these relationships is vital for diagnosing and monitoring diseases affecting different retinal and optic nerve layers.
• Disease-specific patterns emerge when comparing visual field sensitivity with multifocal electrophysiological responses.