Eccentricity-dependent changes in local onset and offset responses in patients with progressive cone dystrophy

Shinoda and colleagues hypothesized that patients with cone dystrophy (CD) might suffer from a selective ON-system deficit, based on the local nature of the disease [Shinoda, K, Ohde, H, Inoue, R, Ishida, S, Mashima, Y, & Oguchi, Y (2002). ON-pathway disturbance in two siblings. Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica, 80, 219–223]. The purpose of the current study was to test this hypothesis by examining onset and offset responses as a function of eccentricity in a group of patients with CD using long-duration LED stimuli. Nine patients with CD participated in this study (mean age of 36.1 years and visual acuity ⩾20/200). For this study, the following measures were obtained: Humphrey threshold visual fields, standard multifocal ERGs (mfERGs) as well as mfERGs to long duration stimuli recorded using the Retiscan stimulator (Roland Instruments). This display contained 61 scaled hexagons and the LEDs were on for 100 ms (180 cd/m2) and off for 100 ms. In addition, standard full-field photopic and flicker ERGs using Ganzfeld stimulation were obtained. For the control subjects, the onset responses were larger than the offset responses at all eccentricities; whereas for the patients, there was overlap between the amplitudes of the onset and offset responses. For the patients, the amplitude ratios (relative to the control data) indicated that the difference between the onset and offset responses was greatest for the central-most ring and this difference decreased with increasing eccentricity. For the onset responses, Humphrey thresholds and mfERG amplitudes, performance was poorest for the center ring and best for the most peripheral ring; for the offset responses, the opposite pattern of results was obtained. The differences in the pattern of results in the long duration mfERG data are consistent with a selective loss of the onset responses in our patient population.