The effect of broadband and monochromatic stimuli on the photopic negative response of the electroretinogram in normal subjects and in open-angle glaucoma patients

The aim was to investigate the effects of monochromatic and broadband stimuli on the amplitude of the photopic negative response (PhNR) and to compare the sensitivities of these stimuli for the detection of ganglion cell damage in glaucoma patients. Forty-one healthy subjects were studied, along with 16 patients with open-angle glaucoma. Photopic electroretinograms (ERGs) were elicited with monochromatic red, amber, green, and broadband white stimuli of progressively brighter intensities in a blue background. Pattern ERGs were also recorded using a 0.8° checkerboard pattern on a 21.6° × 27.8° screen. In the photopic ERGs of the control subjects, the PhNR amplitude was significantly higher ( P