Electroretinogram Analysis In Patients With Non-Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy

Abstract

Purpose: Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) is the earliest stage of diabetic eye disease. Microscopic changes occur in the blood vessels of the eye in NPDR. The changes typically do not produce symptoms and are not visible to the naked eye. This paper aims to investigate a method for distinguishing NPDR based on Electroretinogram (ERG).Method: The ERG responses were recorded in 20 eyes from 14 patients with NPDR and 20 eyes from 20 healthy subjects as the control group. The responses of three standard stimuli were collected for both groups. Time-domain parameters, including amplitudes and implicit time, and a nonlinear criterion, were used to differentiate the groups. Results: This study showed that implicit time and amplitude of b-wave in dark-adapted 10.0 ERG and amplitude and implicit time of light-adapted flicker 30 Hz could distinguish between controls and NPDR groups. Theta values obtained for dark-adapted 10.0 ERG (p=0.0019), light-adapted 3.0 ERG (p=0.0021), and light-adapted flicker 30 Hz (p=0.0023) had significant differences between the groups. Conclusion: The proposed features have made it possible to distinguish between healthy and NPDR eyes. Choosing an appropriate method can effectively evaluate inner retinal dysfunction, especially in diabetic retinopathy.