Comparison of uniform field and pattern electroretinograms of humans

The electroretinogram (ERG) is the voltage change recorded at the cornea in response to visual stimulation that reflects the summed electrical activity of different groups of retinal cells. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the ERG elicited to luminance modulations of a uniform field could be used to simulate the shape of the pattern ERG (PERG) responses recorded to contrast modulation of pattern stimuli. We not only found that summing responses to luminance increments and decrements in the uniform-field ERG of humans could closely simulate the shape of the PERG responses but also that intra- and inter-subject variability of the various response parameters from simulations and actual PERG responses are not significantly different. These findings raise the possibility that the uniform field ERG can serve as a useful alternative to the PERG which is currently the electrodiagnostic test of choice for the clinical assessment of inner-retinal function.