Pattern electroretinogram assessment during ibopamine test in ocular hypertension.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Ocular hypertension (OHT) is a risk factor for glaucoma.
• Assessing inner retinal function is crucial in managing OHT.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate changes in pattern electroretinogram (PERG) amplitude during the ibopamine test in patients with OHT.
• To understand the impact of the ibopamine test on retinal function in OHT.

Main Methods:

• 32 eyes from 16 OHT patients underwent serial PERG assessments every 5 minutes for 60 minutes.
• Patients received thymoxamine eyedrops to prevent mydriasis from ibopamine.
• Data analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired t-test (p<0.05 significance).

Main Results:

• No local or systemic adverse effects were observed with the ibopamine test.
• A significant decrease in mean PERG amplitude was noted from baseline at 45 minutes (p=0.05).
• Results did not correlate with ibopamine test positivity (p=0.5).

Conclusions:

• Inner retinal function in OHT patients can be transiently impacted by the ibopamine test.
• Even moderate, transient intraocular pressure increases may affect retinal function.
• PERG may serve as a sensitive indicator of functional changes in OHT.