Cone-mediated multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) in early age-related maculopathy (early ARM) and its relationship with subjective macular function tests

Purpose. To investigate the multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG) and subjective function in early age-related maculopathy (ARM). Methods. Seventeen subjects with early ARM with visual acuity (VA) of 6/12 or better and 20 age-matched control subjects were examined. We assessed mfERGs, high and low contrast distance VA, near VA, low luminance VA, contrast sensitivity, saturated and desaturated Panel D-15 and visual fields (mean sensitivity). The mfERG responses were analysed by comparing central-overall (method 1) and superior-inferior (method 2) ratios. Results. The mfERG did not discriminate between the groups whereas colour vision (tritan deficiency), contrast sensitivity, and high contrast and low contrast VA showed significantly reduced responses for the early ARM group compared with the control group (p ≤ 0.01). The mfERG first-order kernel responses correlated significantly with the desaturated D-15 in both methods (r = −0.5, p ≤ 0.05). Fundus grading was not correlated with the mfERG measures. Conclusions. Although the mfERG correlated significantly with the desaturated D-15 in early ARM, suggesting it operates at a sensitive level, it failed to discriminate between the control and ARM groups. In our sample, the subjective function measures were more sensitive than the mfERG measures.