Electroretinographic changes during childhood and adolescence

Electroretinogram (ERG) changes with age have been studied widely, but there is no general agreement about the age at which ERG parameters reach adult values. We studied 296 eyes from 148 healthy subjects, divided into 14 age groups, ranging from 1 week to 21 years. Although most of the maturational changes or ERG take place during the first six months, the a wave completes development at three years of age and the b component shows a smooth increase in latency between 3 and 18-21 years. The latter component also shows an increase in amplitude from 7-8 to 12-14 years. During the first period of maturation the b wave parameters follow a multiplicative model. These data are discussed in relation to previously reported findings on ERG maturation and to morphological and functional eye changes with age.