title: Test-retest reliability of the multifocal electroretinogram and humphrey visual fields in patients with retinitis pigmentosa.
abstract: We examined the reliability of Humphrey visual field thresholds and multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) amplitudes and timing in a group of patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Eight patients with RP and seven control subjects were tested five times: at baseline (visit #0), at three weekly follow-up visits (visits #1 - #3), and at three months (visit #4). For the Humphrey thresholds, differences between dB values on repeat visits were obtained. Differences between log values on repeat visits were calculated for mfERG amplitude and implicit time. We used the standard deviations of these difference scores as a measure of reliability and the means of the difference scores as a measure of progression. We found that the majority of the patients' repeat data were more variable than that of the control subjects for both the Humphrey and mfERG. We found no single factor that predicted the magnitude, or the variance, of the SD of differences scores for the patients. We recommend that each patient's reliability be assessed individually. Ultimately, the choice of an outcome measure must be guided by its reliability, as well as its ability to assess the visual function of interest.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, New York University School of Medicine, NB-5N15, 550 First Ave, New York, NY 10016, USA. whs4@nyu.edu
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Seiple
authors.forename: Colleen J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Clemens
authors.forename: Vivienne C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Greenstein
authors.forename: Ronald E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Carr
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holopigian
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004596:Electroretinography / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*