title: Pattern-reversal electroretinographic acuity in untreated eyes with subfoveal neovascular membranes.
abstract: To define further the natural history of visual loss in eyes with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) complicated by a subfoveal neovascular membrane, pattern-reversal electroretinograms (ERGs) were obtained from patients randomized to no treatment at the Dallas center of the Macular Photocoagulation Study (Texas Retina Associates). Study eyes (n = 20) were tested during the initial visit and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up visits. Responses were obtained to phase-alternating checkerboards of varying check size. Extrapolation of the best-fit regression line relating the logarithm of the check size to amplitude was used to determine "retinal" acuity (log MAR). The pattern-reversal ERG acuity rating (100 - [50 x log MAR]) was derived for each visit. Pattern-reversal ERG acuity ratings for all patients across visits were correlated significantly with visual acuity ratings derived from the Bailey-Lovie chart (r = 0.61, P less than 0.001) and inversely related to neovascular membrane area (r = -0.55, P less than 0.001). During 1 yr of follow-up, pattern-reversal acuity ratings dropped from 53 to 12, corresponding to an average decrease of approximately 0.2 octaves/month. These results suggest that the pattern-reversal ERG, which samples the resolving power of the central 20 degrees, is a sensitive index of visual loss in age-related macular degeneration.
authors.affiliation: Retina Foundation of the Southwest, Dallas, TX 75231.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Birch
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Fish
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Jost
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply*; D004596:Electroretinography; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005584:Fovea Centralis; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011897:Random Allocation; D014792:Visual Acuity