Human pattern-evoked retinal responses are altered by optic atrophy.

Electrical signals in response to both diffuse flashes of light and phase-alternating spatial patterns were recorded from the eyes and from the occipital scalp of a subject with a traumatic unilateral (right) optic nerve section. Clinical examination disclosed a grossly normal right eye with no light perception, a Marcus Gunn pupil, and an atrophic optic disc. The left eye was normal. The electroretinogram responses on the lesioned side (OD) were normal, but there was no pattern-evoked retinal response (PERR) and no recordable visual-evoked response present. The conclusion is that the optic nerve and ganglion cells appear to be selectively responsible for the PERR potential.