VISUAL EVOKED RESPONSE IN HYSTERICAL AMBLYOPIA

The syndrome in which reduced visual acuity is the main presenting symptom and constricted fields and poor dark adaptation are found on examination is known as hysterical amblyopia. It is not uncommon and 35 cases are reported here. In each case electro-diagnostic tests, including the light-adapted VER, supported the clinical finding that there was no organic lesion. The elevation of the final threshold of the dark-adaptation curve was shown to be related to the degree of constriction of the visual fields. Therefore, a technique for recording the dark-adapted VER was developed to provide an objective test of peripheral retinal function. A normal dark-adapted VER, recorded despite a poor subjective dark-adaptation curve, is at present the best indication of hysterical amblyopia.