The negative response of the flash electroretinogram in glaucoma

The existence of a negative ERG component following the b-wave has been known for a long time. Recently, in unilateral macaque experimental glaucoma, a negative response in flash electroretinograms under scotopic as well as photopic conditions has been shown to be greatly reduced or absent compared to the healthy fellow eye. The aim of this pilot study was to test whether a late negative electroretinogram component is reduced also in human glaucoma patients under different stimulus conditions. Dark-adapted ganzfeld flash electroretinograms were recorded after 30 min of dark using two test conditions, obtained as optimal in pilot studies on controls. Under the scotopic condition I white Xenon-flashes of intensity 0.53 Log photopic Td s were presented on a low white background of 1.38 Log scotopic Td. Under the more photopic condition II orange flashes of intensity -0.37 Log photopic Td s were presented on a blue-adapting background of 2.5 Log scotopic Td. Nine controls and 18 patients with advanced glaucoma were analyzed. The amplitude of the negative response was not significantly reduced in glaucoma patients (condition I: -28.5+/-23.7 microV; condition II: -25.2+/-19.7 microV) compared to controls (condition I: -41.4+/-36.6 microV; condition II: -31.3+/-26.2 microV). The peak latency of the responses under condition I and II did not differ significantly between patients and controls. Thus, the late negative electroretinogram component in ganzfeld flash electroretinograms obtained under scotopic and more photopic conditions does not seem to distinguish as easy between human controls and glaucoma patients as animal experiments suggest.