title: Electrophysiological evaluation of the macular cone system: focal electroretinography and visual evoked potentials after photostress.
abstract: In this article, the methodologies and clinical applications of two electrophysiological tests, the focal electroretinogram (FERG) and the visual evoked potentials (VEPs) after photostress, are described. These techniques provide somewhat complementary results about macular function because they tap the activity of different neural substrates along the pathway of the cone system and allow evaluation of the macular function under steady-state (ie, the FERG) or dynamic (ie, the VEPs after photostress) conditions. The results obtained in patients with different macular pathologies indicate that while the FERG provides direct information about the extent and sites of macular dysfunction, the VEPs after photostress represent an objective, although not specific, index of the dynamic properties of macular performance after exposure to intense light stimulation. The combined use of both techniques appears to be promising for gaining further insights into the diagnosis and pathophysiology of macular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Cattedra di Clinica Oculistica, Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Falsini
mesh_terms: D004596:Electroretinography; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D006801:Humans; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted