Electroretinography in the Differential Diagnosis of Visual Loss in Children

Introduction It has become increasingly apparent to those investigating the clinical application of electroretinography that the electroretinogram (ERG) is of major importance in the differential diagnosis of visual defects in children. The loss of visual function in an ophthalmoscopically normal eye, or one in which fundus changes are minimal, is not restricted to the pediatric patient. It does, however, present a unique problem in diagnosis when the youthfulness of the patient precludes the use of subjective test procedures and prevents the volunteering of information regarding visual fields, night vision, color discrimination, etc. A similar problem exists even where fundus pathology is evident, since decisions as to extent of visual loss, etiology, and prognosis usually require a knowledge of the functional status of the eye, in addition to its ophthalmoscopic appearance. Fortunately, electroretinography provides an objective method for assessing, within limits, the functional status of the eye. In the present paper,