Electrophysiology

Abstract

Electrophysiological methods of examination involve the recording of bioelectric potentials that arise during the neural processing of visual information by the various elements of the afferent visual pathways. Changes in the various types of electrical potentials allow conclusions to be made about the locations and kinds of functional disturbances in the afferent neurons of the visual system. The examination methods of electrophysiology, including the electrooculogram (EOG), the various types of electroretinography (ERG), and the visually evoked (cortical) potentials (VEP) can be of significant help for the differential diagnostic classification of afferent visual disorders, when such conclusions cannot be made on the basis of morphological findings and subjective tests of visual function. The individual methods of examination have been standardized by the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV, http://www.iscev.org/standards/index.html).