c 1998 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

Abstract. Pattern-electroretinograms (PERG) to checkerboard reversal at 16/s. 0.8 and 15 check size and visual fields (Octopus G1) were retrospectively analyzed in 40 eyes of 30 patients with early glaucoma. The mean visual field defect was calculated separately for the central 26 34 covered by the PERG stimulus (MDc) and the more peripheral area (MDp) surrounding the stimulus. Deeper field loss was correlated with a reduced pattern electroretinogram amplitude (p < 0.01 for both MDp and MDc), indicating that the pattern electroretinogram deteriorates as glaucoma advances. If the analysis was confined to those 18 eyes (16 patients) that had no field defect within the area covered by the PERG stimulus (normal MDc but abnormal MDp), 13 of these had an abnormal PERG amplitude (p < 0.001). The results suggest that the PERG can reveal impairment of ganglion cell function that is not detected by conventional perimetry. Abbreviations: MD – mean defect; MDc – mean defect over the central area; MDp – mean defect over the peripheral area