Portable electroretinography device may enable screening without sedation

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — A portable device may eliminate the need for sedated electroretinograms in screening for retinal disease in children with nystagmus, according to a scientific poster presented here.

At the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meeting, Sara F. Grace, MD, and colleagues presented results of a study using the RETeval (LKC Technologies), which allows electroretinogram screening without general anesthesia.

Investigators performed RETeval examinations on 65 cycloplegic patients using the ISCEV standard flicker protocol. Examination time was less than 1 minute in every case.

Normative data were obtained from 31 patients. They had no ophthalmic structural pathology, hyperopia of 4 D or less, myopia of 4 D or less, and best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 or better.

Thirty-four patients had nystagmus; 15 patients had a primary retinal disorder and 19 did not.

Nystagmus patients with primary retinal disorders had longer or immeasurable implicit times and lower amplitudes than nystagmus patients without primary retinal disorders and normal patients; the difference was statistically significant (P < .001).

In a comparison between nystagmus patients without primary retinal disorders and normal patients, implicit times were not significantly different, but amplitudes were significantly lower in nystagmus patients without primary retinal disorders than in normal patients (P < .001). – by Matt Hasson and Patricia Nale, ELS

Reference:

Grace SF, et al. Portable non-sedated electroretinogram evaluation of children with nystagmus in the pediatric ophthalmology clinic. Presented at: American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus 42nd annual meeting; April 6-10, 2016; Vancouver, British Columbia.

Disclosure: Grace reports no relevant financial disclosures. LKC Technologies provided the RETeval device and sensor strips used in the study.