Effect of Intraocular Irrigating Solution on Flicker Electroretinogram During Cataract Surgery in Human Eye

Abstract: The effects of two commercially available intraocular irrigating solutions, Opeguard MA and BSS Plus, were studied during extracapsular cataract surgery in 45 eyes of 35 patients. After irrigation and aspiration of the residual cortex with Opeguard MA or BSSPlus, the ERG amplitude increased, respectively, to 111.2 Ϯ 5.8% and 109.5 Ϯ 5.3% of the preirrigation amplitudes. The increases reached significance (116.9 Ϯ 7.0% and 115.7 Ϯ 6.5%; both P Ͻ .05) at the end of surgery compared with pre-irrigation ERG amplitudes. After irrigation with Opeguard MA or BSS-Plus, the ERG peak times were significantly prolonged to 103.9 Ϯ 0.8% and 104.2 Ϯ 1.2%, respectively, of the preirrigation peak times (both P Ͻ .01). The ERG peak times significantly shortened to 101.5 Ϯ 0.9% and 101.3 Ϯ 1.22%, respectively, at the end of surgery ( P Ͻ .001 and P Ͻ .05) compared with just after irrigation. Although we have previously shown that Opeguard MA maintained amplitude and implicit time of 30 Hz flicker ERG during vitrectomy better than BSS-Plus, there were no statistically significant differences between the changes in amplitude and peak time with Opeguard MA and BSS-Plus during cataract surgery. We speculate that a drop in the retinal temperature during irrigation and aspiration in the anterior chamber and an increase in the photopic ERG amplitude during light adaptation with the operating microscope caused these ERG changes. Jpn J Ophthalmol 1998;42:275-28

Multifocal electroretinograms in normal subjects

Abstract: Multifocal electroretinography (ERG), developed by Sutter in 1992, is a method of recording the spatial distribution of focal ERG in a short time period using multi-input stimulation. Using this technique, we can detect the spatial extent and severity of damage to the macula. In this study, we recorded multifocal ERGs from 20 eyes of 20 normal subjects and analyzed the topographical properties of responses. In every subject, a negative wave followed by a positive wave could be recorded and we named them the N1-wave and the P1-wave, respectively. The amplitudes of the N1-wave and the P1-wave were the largest in the fovea, and they became smaller with eccentricity. In the P1-wave amplitude, the greatest intersubject variability was observed at the fovea. The N1 and P1 latencies were shorter in the upper retina than in the lower retina. The amplitude was larger in the upper retina than in the lower retina, which suggests the functional superiority of the upper retina. There was no statistical difference in latency and amplitude between the nasal and the temporal retina. We found no statistical difference between the responses of the papillomacular bundle and those of the temporal retinal area. The mapping obtained by multifocal ERG was useful as objective perimetry. Jpn J Ophthalmol 1998;42:129-13