Full-field electroretinogram (ffERG) over 48 months correlates with baseline retinal dysfunction in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease: a longitudinal study
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate full-field electroretinogram (ffERG) parameters and evaluate their clinical associations in patients with acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease over a 4-year follow-up. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This retrospective cohort study included 21 patients with acute VKH disease followed for 48 months after initiation of systemic corticosteroid therapy, with or without adjunctive immunosuppression. ffERG was performed at 1, 6, 12, and 48 months (M) post-treatment. At M48, eyes were classified into two groups: Group 1 (normal ffERG) and Group 2 (subnormal ffERG), based on whether any ffERG parameters fell below the 5th percentile of age-matched healthy controls. Main outcomes included longitudinal ffERG changes, clinical associations, and the 6-month recovery ratios relative to baseline (M1). RESULTS: All ffERG parameters improved significantly from baseline to M6 (p < 0.001) and to M12 (p < 0.001) and stabilized thereafter. Group 2 exhibited consistently reduced ffERG amplitudes compared to Group 1 throughout follow-up (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001), despite similar recovery trends. Recovery ratios at M6 ranged from 27%-78% in Group 1 and 26%-175% in Group 2; however, Group 2 remained below normal levels at M48. Sunset glow fundus (SGF) at M12 was significantly more frequent in Group 2 (60.7%) than in Group 1 (21.4%, p = 0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal function improved during the first year and stabilized thereafter, irrespective of treatment type. Persistent subnormal ffERG at 48 months reflected a poorer baseline function and was associated with the development of SGF.
Source: Documenta Ophthalmologica
Authors: Fernanda Maria Silveira Souto, Ruy Felippe Brito Gonçalves Missaka, Marcelo Mendes Lavezzo, Viviane Mayumi Sakata, Maria Kiyoko Oyamada, Joyce Hisae Yamamoto, Brazilian Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease Study Group, Priscilla Figueiredo Campos da Nóbrega, Camillo Carneiro Gusmão, Emmett Cunningham, Carlos Eduardo Hirata
Language: English
Subfield: Ophthalmology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,090
Award: G2935891940
OpenAlex ID: W7126170573
