title: Further Evidence for the Utility of Electrophysiological Methods for the Detection of Subclinical Stage Retinal and Optic Nerve Involvement in Diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the utility of visual electrophysiological methods, visual evoked potentials (VEPs) and pattern electroretinograms (PERGs) were recorded for the detection of subclinical optic nerve and retinal involvement in patients with diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data of 63 patients (126 eyes) with no vascular retinopathy or optic neuropathy were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into polyneuropathic/nonpolyneuropathic groups to differentiate between early and late subclinical stages. The recorded parameters were compared with local reference values.
  
  
  RESULTS
  116 eyes (92%) had VEP and 76 (60%) had PERG abnormalities. The most frequent alteration was latency delay, but waveform and amplitude irregularities were also observed. The simultaneous use of the two methods allowed us to differentiate abnormal VEPs of purely optic nerve origin from those reflecting retinal involvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We suggest that regular electrophysiological screening should receive more attention in the ophthalmological care of diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Klára
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Deák
authors.forename: Imre
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fejes
authors.forename: Márta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janáky
authors.forename: Tamás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Várkonyi
authors.forename: György
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Benedek
authors.forename: Gábor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Braunitzer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004596:Electroretinography / Q000379:methods*; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies