A 3-year follow-up study of ocular hypertension by pattern electroretinogram.

A 3-year following-up study of the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) was performed in 15 eyes of 8 ocular hypertensive (OHT) patients. At first PERG recording, the amplitude of the first positive wave P1 was statistically significantly reduced in the OHT patients compared with age-matched controls (p < 0.05). There was no difference in the amplitude of the second negative wave N2 (p > 0.05). At 40 months, the amplitude of both P1 and N2 decreased and the latency of P1 was elongated. Among the changes, the decrease in N2 amplitude was the most drastic (p = 0.0001 compared with the control, p < 0.05, compared with the first recording). Glaucomatous visual field defects developed 5 years after the first PERG recording and 2 years after the reduction in N2 amplitude in 1 patient. Decreased N2 amplitude of the PERG may be an important warning sign predicting the development of glaucoma in OHT patients.