Prolonged rod dark adaptation in patients with cone-rod dystrophy

Thirteen patients with cone-rod dystrophy were assigned into one of four previously described category subtypes according to clinical, electrophysiologic, and psychophysical criteria. The time course of rod dark adaptation was determined for each patient by means of a Goldmann-Weekers dark adaptometer. Nine of the 13 patients showed a normal time to return to their dark-adapted thresholds before bleaching, while four patients showed a prolonged recovery time. The four patients with a prolonged rod-recovery time were all from the same clinical subtype and showed a similar fundus appearance as well as similar electrophysiologic and psychophysical findings.