# Visual evoked potentials among Indian patients with optic nerve disorders

## TL;DR

The study shows that Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP) can help diagnose and monitor optic nerve disorders by detecting changes in brain responses to visual stimuli.

## Contribution

The study evaluates the effectiveness of VEP in diagnosing optic nerve disorders in a rural Indian hospital setting.

## Key findings

- VEP showed significant abnormalities in P100 latency and amplitude in optic nerve disorder patients.
- Optic neuritis was the most common disorder observed in the study population.
- VEP provides objective data for early detection and management of optic nerve diseases.

## Abstract

Optic nerve disorders comprise a large part of causes of visual impairments and can be associated with various clinical presentations.
Accurate diagnosis and treatment sometimes would be achieved by using advanced techniques in diagnostic approaches such as Visual Evoked
Potentials (VEP). This study therefore profiles optic nerve disorders and estimates the role VEP plays in the diagnosis and prognosis of
these conditions in a rural tertiary care hospital. Hundred cases diagnosed with optic nerve disorders and 200 controls matched for age
and gender were recruited from the Eye OPD. Structured questionnaires, clinical examination and VEP testing were done to retrieve
information. Analysis by SPSS version 23 was carried out. In the study, the most common disorders found were optic neuritis, followed by
ischemic optic neuropathy, and then glaucoma. VEP revealed statistical abnormalities concerning P100 latency and amplitude in the
patients with optic nerve disorders as compared to controls. P100 latency was significantly prolonged with a mean comparison of
p<0.001, while the amplitude was reduced with p<0.001 when compared to the controls. VEP is an important diagnostic and prognostic
tool in optic nerve diseases. It would tend to provide objective and reproducible data, thus helpful for early detection and management.