MULTIFOCAL ELECTRORETINOGRAPHY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF EYES WITH CENTRAL RETINAL VEIN OCCLUSION

Abstract

Data suggest that the multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) may have a role in the assessment of patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). To explore the mfERG responses in patients with CRVO. mfERG responses were recorded at 61 discrete retinal locations from both eyes of 25 patients diagnosed with retinal vein occlusions within 3 weeks of onset. The latencies and amplitudes of average responses of 5 eccentric rings from 0 to 26 degrees relative to fixation, and grouped central and peripheral rings of involved eyes were compared with values obtained from 13 normal fellow eyes of these subjects. The mfERG responses obtained from eyes with CRVO were significantly different from those derived from the fellow eye, especially when the rings are grouped as central and peripheral. mfERG is a new, safe, non-invasive, and quick investigative tool to assess retinal function. Our results suggest that mfERG could be a useful electrophysiologic test in clinical evaluation and determination of the severity of underlying ischemia in patients with retinal vein occlusion. Further studies are needed to evaluate its role as a prognostic method to determine which eyes are prone to serious complications. This is the first report of mfERG results in Iran.