Contrast Sensitivity versus Visual Evoked Potentials in Multiple Sclerosis

Purpose: to compare the cambridge contrast sensitivity (cs) test and visual evokedpotentials (vep) in detecting visual impairment in a population of visually symptomaticand asymptomatic patients affected by clinically definite multiple sclerosis (ms).methods: fifty patients (100 eyes) presenting with ms and 25 healthy subjects (50 eyes)with normal corrected visual acuity were included in this study. cs was determinedusing the cambridge low contrast grating test and vep was obtained in all eyes.findings were evaluated in two age strata of 10-29 and 30-49 years.results: of the 42 eyes in the 10-29 year age group, cs was abnormal in 22 (52%),vep was also abnormal in 22 (52%), but only 12 eyes (28%) had visual symptoms. ofthe 58 eyes in the 30-49 year group, cs was abnormal in 7 (12%), vep was abnormalin 34 (58%), while only 11 eyes were symptomatic. no single test could detect all ofthe abnormal eyes.conclusion: the cambridge low contrast grating test is useful for detection ofclinical and subclinical visual dysfunction especially in young patients with multiplesclerosis. nevertheless, only a combination of cs and vep tests can detect most casesof visual dysfunction associated with ms.