Objective measurement of contrast sensitivity using the steady-state visual evoked potential.

Contrast sensitivity functions (CSFs) were determined electrophysiologically with the steady-state visual evoked potential (VEP). Psychophysical CSFs obtained by the method of increasing contrasts were also measured concurrently with the VEP trials. The VEP contrast thresholds were obtained using a rapid recording technique in which the contrast of a counterphase sinewave modulated at a temporal frequency of 7.5 Hz was swept from 0.5% to 40% over a period of 22 s in 39 equal logarithmic steps. For this pattern reversal stimulus, the amplitude and phase of the second harmonic response as a function of contrast were measured using a discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Contrast sensitivities at five spatial frequencies ranging from 0.5 to 14.9 cpd were measured. The VEP contrast thresholds were determined by a linear extrapolation to zero amplitude. The contrast threshold obtained by the two methods correlated at 0.816 for 14 subjects. For all five spatial frequencies there were no significant differences between the contrast sensitivities derived from the two methods.