Study on anisometropic amblyopia by simultaneously recording multifocal VEP and multifocal ERG

Objective To investigate the characteristic changes of the retina, the visual pathway and the visual cortex in patients with anisometropic amblyopia by simultaneously recording multifocal VEP and multifocal ERG. Methods Pattern and flash simultaneously recording of the multifocal VEP and ERG of both eyes of 24 anisometropic amblyopes were recorded and the results were compared with those of 30 normal subjects. Results In different retinal areas the amplitudes of multifocal pattern VEP and ERG and second order kernel of multifocal flash VEP and ERG of the amblyopic eyes were reduced. In amblyopic eyes the latencies of mVEP were markedly prolonged while no changes of the mERG latencies were found. Amplitudes of first order kernel of multifocal flash VEP and ERG in amblyopic eyes were reduced while no changes in latencies. The abnormalities of multifocal pattern VEP waveforms in amblyopia were larger in central area than in peripheral and were correlated with the damage of visual acuity of the amblyopic eyes. Retinocortical time of multifocal pattern and the second order kernel of multifocal flash responses were prolonged in amblyopic eyes, while no changes were found for the first order kernel responses. Conclusion~The mVEP and mERG results reveiled characteristic suggesting a malfunction of the retina,the visual pathway and the visual cortex in amblyopic patients.