Chromatic visual evoked potentials identify optic nerve dysfunction in patients with Graves’ orbitopathy

Purpose To explore visual dysfunction in Graves’ orbitopathy (GO) objectively by analyzing chromatic visual evoked potentials (cVEP) and evaluate its diagnostic efficiency for dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON). Methods In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed pattern-reversal VEP (pVEP), red–green (R–G) and blue–yellow (B–Y) cVEP in 93 subjects (21 with DON, Group A, 30 with GO, Group B, and 42 healthy controls, Group C) at Wuhan Union Hospital, China. Results Compared with Group C, the amplitudes of B-Y cVEP were significantly lower in Group B, whereas all amplitudes of cVEP, latencies and amplitudes of pVEP in Group A were significantly impaired. In addition, the pVEP latency at 60 arcmin (60'), pVEP amplitudes and R–G cVEP amplitudes were significantly different between Group A and B. Moreover, 60’cVEP R–G negative–positive (N–P) amplitude was correlated with crowding index ( P = 0.001), the average thickness of ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer ( P = 0.004). Furthermore, combination of 60’cVEP R–G amplitude and 60’pVEP P100 latency had better diagnostic efficiency than each single parameter, with optimal cut-off values of 14.20 μV and 110.65 ms, respectively. Conclusion GO may induce electrophysiological changes. The presence of B–Y cVEP anomalies in moderate to severe GO patients may be an early sign of preclinical DON. A decline in 60’cVEP R–G amplitude is associated with apical crowding and thinner inner intra-retinal layers. The combination of 60’cVEP R–G N–P amplitude and 60’pVEP latency can be a useful diagnostic index for DON.