[Effect of cataracts on contrast pattern reversal stimuli exemplified by the pattern electroretinogram].

A cataract changes pattern-evoked contrast responses to a mostly unknown extent by a blurred retinal image. Pattern electroretinograms (P-ERG), evoked by a reversing checkerboard pattern, were measured (a) in 12 healthy volunteers with a cataract simulated by Bangerter foils; (b) pre- and postoperatively in 44 cataract eyes without retinal damage; and (c) in 13 healthy contralateral eyes. Slight media opacities (visual acuity 1.

Simultaneously recorded retinal and cerebral potentials to windmill stimulation.

Visual evoked retinal and cerebral potentials were recorded to onset rotation of an isoluminant sectored disc. While the retinal potentials recorded to onset rotation closely resembled the electroretinogram to a checkerboard or stripe pattern of fixed element size, the visual evoked potential changed interindividually and intraindividually from a fast positive wave at high contrasts, velocities and number of windmill segments to a later negative component at low contrasts, velocities and windmill segments. With change in luminance, contrast, speed and extent of rotation field size and number of disc segments, the visual evoked potential was generally less affected than the electroretinogram.

[Amblyopic eyes produce an abnormal electroretinogram in pattern presentation with the on-off technique].

In amblyopic subjects the electroretinogram in response to pattern stimuli (P-ERG) has been variously described as normal or abnormal. While this was found with a reversing stimulus pattern, we presently recorded the P-ERG by exposing the eye to a checkerboard pattern (element size 10, 30, or 60 min of arc) alternating with a uniform field of equal mean luminance (5 or 500 cd/m2). Eight subjects with anisometropic or squint amblyopia and ten normal subjects took part in the investigation.

[Sensory and electrical responses in stimulation of the macula with short-wave (407-527 nm) linear polarized light (Haidinger polarization brushes)].

We investigated Haidinger's (1844) entoptic polarization brushes of the macula psychophysically and electrophysiologically during rotation of plane-polarized blue (< 520 nm) light projected to a polarization screen. Psychophysically the sensitivity of the brushes was highest between 470 and 490 nm, with a steep decrease at longer wavelengths. Increase of adaptive illumination (I) above 0.

Scotopic versus photopic pattern onset-offset electroretinograms.

We investigated the contribution of rods and cones to the human pattern electroretinogram to onset and offset checkerboards of different spatial frequency and wavelength in a 39 degrees x 39 degrees field. Under strictly scotopic conditions, there was a negative potential at onset and a positive potential at offset, whereas under photopic conditions, there was a positive potential at onset and a negative/positive potential at offset. Thus, the waveform to pattern onset (offset) was that of the luminance electroretinogram to decreasing (increasing) luminances.

[VECP (pattern threshold, amplitude, latency) in different light levels. A comparison between healthy eyes, organic and functional amblyopia eyes].

According to Bjerrum [5] and Ammann [2], light attenuation decreases visual acuity at different rates in normals, organic and functional amblyopes. In 27 normal subjects, 19 patients with central fixating squint amblyopia and 12 with organically poor vision, we determined the visually evoked cortical potential (VECP) threshold check size, P100 latency and P2 amplitude for reversing checkerboards of variable size at different levels of luminance. After light attenuation, we found a different rate of change for VECP threshold check size in normal subjects and patients with squint amblyopia, which lessened after the fovea was occluded.

Spatial frequency of the human short-wavelength-sensitive (blue) cone mechanism. Psychophysical studies and pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials.

The interactions of spatial and chromatic processing of the short-wavelength-sensitive cone mechanism were studied in humans with patterned (checkerboard) stimuli of various spatial frequency (10, 22, 44, and 85 min of are respectively), under steady exposure to yellow light (575 nm, 390 cd/m2). Psychophysical studies and pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials were employed. Parameters of the transient pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (pattern reversal rate of 2.

Cone interaction and color substitution as revealed by pattern ERG.

Transient electroretinograms to a reversing color-contrast checkerboard pattern (P-ERG) were recorded in a protanomalous, a deuteranomalous, and a normal observer. Alternate monochromatic checks were of constant wavelength (630 nm red-531 nm green), while the relative energies were varied systematically. When changing the radiance ratio 630 nm-531 nm of the stimulus, the normal subject exhibited a P-ERG to all stimuli with only a relative amplitude minimum at a distinct radiance ratio, whereas the color-deficient observers failed to show a P-ERG at some color contrast 630 nm-531 nm, the radiance ratio of which was different in the protan and deutan.

Spatial selectivity of pattern electroretinogram components.

Pattern electroretinograms were recorded to checkerboard stimuli of various check size to both onset-offset pattern and pattern reversal under most similar conditions of contrast and luminance. With onset-offset pattern the amplitude of the p-q and q-r components of the onset response showed a peak for checks of about 20 min of arc (spatial tuning), whereas the offset response was spatially nonselective at high contrast regardless of the luminance level. With pattern reversal the potentials were similar to those after algebraic summation of onset and offset responses both in waveform and check size of peak amplitude at 50 min of arc.

Visually evoked potentials in response to rotating plane-polarized blue light.

Visually evoked cortical potentials closely related to the appearance and disappearance of Haidinger's brushes were obtained in response to onset and offset of rotation of plane-polarized blue light. The method provides a means of investigating macular function in man; it is fairly independent of ocular opacities and relates, for the first time, entoptic phenomena to those evoked by extrinsic light stimulation.

Pattern electroretinogram peak times as a clinical means of discriminating retinal from optic nerve disease.

Fifty-two patients with unilateral or bilateral retinal or optic nerve disease exhibited abnormal peak times and/or amplitudes in the pattern electroretinogram. While this abnormality in patients with optic nerve diseases was confined to an amplitude reduction, 40% of the eyes with retinal diseases exhibited additionally a peak time delay of the p and/or q component. We conclude that recording of pattern electroretinogram peak times provides an additional means to distinguish retinal from optic nerve diseases.

Pattern electroretinogram of the blue cones.

In man the electroretinogram to pattern reversal stimuli (P-ERG) represents a cone response of the proximal retina, dominated by the cone mechanisms sensitive to red (R) and green (G). Additionally there is a cone mechanism sensitive to blue (B) which can be studied with and without steady exposure to yellow light. During exposure to a superimposed uniform yellow background (576 nm) the transient P-ERG of the B cones is represented by potentials of small amplitude (less than 1 microV).

[Postoperative recovery of visual function in sella tumors: prognostic assessment by electro-ophthalmologic studies].

Preoperative examination of the visual system in patients with tumors of the sellar region is usually limited to checking the visual acuity, assessing the visual field, and ophthalmoscopy of the optic disc. In addition to these tests we investigated pre- and postoperatively 35 patients with meningiomas, pituitary adenomas and other sellar and parasellar tumors by recording the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) and the pattern-evoked cortical potential (PVECP) in order to evaluate functional and possible structural impairment of the visual pathway. Based on electro-ophthalmological tests, the retinal and cortical findings were classified as: regular ERG and VECP (0), regular ERG and irregular VECP (1), irregular ERG and VECP (2).

Effect of pre-adaptation on pattern electroretinogram (P-ERG).

Up to now light and dark adaptation are considered as of minor importance when recording the pattern electroretionogram (P-ERG) which in man reflects cone vision. In order to test this supposition transient P-ERGs were recorded in six healthy subjects to a reversing checkerboard pattern produced by a pivoted mirror system after two minutes of pre-exposure to darkness (1), to the pattern reversal stimulus (2), and to uniform illumination of 3.3 log cd/m2 (3).

The electrical response of the human eye to patterned stimuli: clinical observations.

Following the first recording of electroretinographic responses in man to a barred pattern by Riggs and associates (1964) in normal and by Lawwill (1973, 1974) in clinical cases, the first striking observation of a complete loss of pattern electroretinogram (PERG) after injurious section of the optic nerve by Groneberg & Teping (1980) has led to the conclusion that the PERG originates from proximal retinal structures different from those responsible for the luminance electroretinogram (LERG). Typical changes of the PERG are seen during branch occlusion of the central retinal artery and vein. In ocular hypertension without visual field loss and glaucoma-related papillary changes the PERG is decreased at intraocular pressures above 26 mm Hg.

Area-luminance relationship for a constant light peak of the standing potential in the human eye.

The area-luminance relationship of the light peak of the slow oscillation of the standing potential was investigated in man by determining luminance response curves for field sizes between 5 degrees and Ganzfeld after dark adaptation and at two levels of adaptive illumination. The luminance necessary for a low constant light peak was read therefrom and related to the area stimulated. With foveally and extrafoveally centered test lights a straight line with gradient -1 was found if the logarithm of the threshold luminance was plotted against the log area of the field.

Early receptor potential from the pineal photoreceptor.

Rapid photoresponses were obtained from the pineal organ of Rana catesbeiana and Rana esculenta comparable to the early receptor potential (ERP) of the retina of their lateral eyes. Light source was a xenon filled discharge tube with a maximum energy input of 365 J. The flash duration was 600 mu sec measured at 1/3 peak amplitude.