Temporal frequency characteristics of retinitis pigmentosa obtained by pattern visual evoked cortical potential to checkerboard stimuli.

We examined temporal frequency curves by pattern visual evoked potential in 28 eyes suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The peak latency of the P100 component was 110.3 +/- 3.0 msec (S.E.), which was not significantly different from the 110.2 +/- 0.8 msec (S.E.) obtained from 60 normal controls. The P100 amplitudes of whole reversal frequencies, however, were decreased in patients with RP (p less than 0.05), especially at lower frequencies. We thought this phenomenon was useful for determining central visual function in patients with RP.