Prolonged cone b-wave on electroretinography is associated with severity of inflammation in non-infectious uveitis.

Abstract Purpose To investigate retinal function of non-infectious uveitis patients using full-field electroretinography (ERG) and correlate the ERG to disease duration and severity of inflammation. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Patients (n=200) with non-infectious uveitis and a disease duration of 5 years (group B, n=120) were included. ERGs of the total 355 uveitis eyes were measured according to an extended ISCEV protocol. ERG abnormalities were related to demographics and uveitis characteristics, including anatomical classification, the duration of uveitis, severity of inflammation, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), cystoid macular edema (CME), and the highest fluorescein angiography (FA) score during the course of the disease. Results The ERG showed abnormalities in 235 eyes (66.2%). The most frequent and pronounced ERG abnormality was a prolonged implicit time of the cone b-wave (151 eyes, 42.5%), which was associated with vitritis (p=.005), cells in the anterior chamber (p=.007), highest FA score (p=.011), age (p Conclusions The ERG is frequently affected in non-infectious uveitis of all anatomic subtypes, including anterior uveitis without apparent inflammation of the posterior segment. ERG abnormalities appear to be associated with the severity of inflammation of both present and past, and therefore may be seen even when signs of retinal inflammation have disappeared.