[blindkid] ERG questions

Lenora J. Marten bluegolfshoes at aol.com
Tue Aug 17 17:47:43 UTC 2010


There are two types of ERG's. One where the anesthesia is used and the more extensive ERG is done when the
child is awake. I do know that the doctor is able to determine much more when the child is awake. They place
what looks like extra large hard contacts over each eye. In the middle of the contact is a probe which is attached
to a wire which is attached to a machine. The reason they try using anesthesia first is that the child cannot move 
during the test. When Eric had the extensive ERG done, he was strapped to the table so tight that he couldn't 
possibly move anything. He was only 5 so they left a spot open on his stomach big enough for me to rub it during
the test so he didn't freak out. He had an ERG done under anesthesia when he was just a few months old, and 
that's when the Pediatric Neuro-Ophthalmologist incorrectly determined that there was nothing wrong with him. 
I would recommend trying the anesthesia first as it is much less traumatic. But if the results are undetermined,
I would ask for the more extensive ERG. 



Lenora 


-----Original Message-----
From: Doreen <doreenproverbs3 at bellsouth.net>
To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children) <blindkid at nfbnet.org>; BVI-Parents at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, Aug 16, 2010 5:46 pm
Subject: [blindkid] ERG questions


Hi, 
our 5yr old daughter is having an ERG done in a few weeks. Her pressures were high when the ophthalmologist did the annual exam under anesthesia but mainly her acuities have declined drastically without any "reason." The doc was hoping to find some kind of an answer for the decline during the exam under anesthesia but did not. (The docs did not "see" glaucoma when comparing her photos of a year ago to this exam; they also found that the macula, retina, optic nerves and drainage canals are good.) The ophthalmologist is now ordering an ERG. I have gotten the information from Bascom Palmer (where she goes for her ophthalmologist's exams) on what will be done and have googled it also. (Pressures were: March 09 - near 20/70, distance 20/100; Aug 09 - distance 20/160OD, 20/250 OS; July 2010 - 20/800 near, 20/400 distance. They also declined in Oct and Dec 2009 but she had been in school for the full day, then saw the ophthalmologist which "could" have explained the decrease then. The 20/800 and 20/400 are "not explainable" as it is summer time and she was in the doc's office at about the same time as normal, so not much fatigue due to having to do work in school). 
 
I am wondering if anyone's child has had this done and what your experience has been. We are looking for any kind of information. She will have to go under anesthesia again for the ERG (electroretinography) and the doc may or may not be able to get intraocular pressures as well as doing the ERG. 
 
Thank you .... your help is greatly appreciated! 
Doreen 
 
 
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