The Time is Now for Visual Electrophysiology

Clinical visual electrophysiology, such as electroretinograms (ERG) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) have been available clinically for decades. The tests are often ordered as adjuncts to more typical clinical examination and offer the ability to determine the site(s) in the visual pathway that are affected by ocular pathology (i.e. retinal versus cortical). Suspected retinal dystrophies and cases of unexplained vision loss are often referred for visual electrodiagnostic testing. A full-field ERG, for instance, is necessary to definitively describe and diagnose retinitis pigmentosa as the clinically visible retinal findings are not always typical (e.g. retinitis sine pigmento).