Reduced oscillatory potentials of the full-field electroretinogram of eyes with aphakic or pseudophakic cystoid macular edema.

PURPOSE: To report reduced oscillatory potentials (OPs) in the full-field electroretinogram (ERG) of eyes with aphakic or pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (CME).

DESIGN

Observational case series.

METHODS

Bright white flash full-field ERGs were recorded from 19 eyes of 19 patients (ages, 53-84 years) with aphakic or pseudophakic CME. Seven of the cases had uncomplicated phacoemulsification (PE) with implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) and 6 had posterior capsular rupture during phacoemulsification and aspiration with implantation of a PC-IOL. Four additional patients had uncomplicated intracapsular cataract extraction (ICCE), and 2 had secondary anterior chamber intraocular lens after ICCE. Their fellow eyes without CME served as controls. Cystoid macular edema was diagnosed as clinically significant by slit-lamp examination and by fluorescein angiography. The grading for severity of CME was based on the fluorescein angiography. The visual acuity ranged from 20/200 to 20/16.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in the mean amplitudes and implicit times of the a-waves and b-waves between the affected eyes and the fellow eyes. The mean summed amplitude of the OPs was significantly reduced in the affected eyes (P =.0003, Wilcoxon signed rank test). This decrease was strongly correlated with visual acuity (r =.779, P <.0001). The mean implicit time of the first OP was significantly delayed in the affected eyes (P =.0089, Wilcoxon signed rank test).

CONCLUSIONS

Because the peripheral retina contributes more significantly to full-field ERGs than the macula, the reduced OP amplitudes of the full-field ERGs in eyes with aphakic or pseudophakic CME suggest a functional impairment not only in the macula but also throughout the retina.