Visual evoked potential is a vision test that measures the electrical signal from the retina to the brain.
It can be used to diagnose certain vision disorders or to monitor progression of certain ocular diseases. The test is non-invasive and only takes a few minutes to do. There is a bit of prep work to take the test to get a quality result. The test is not something that is done on everyone like a screening test would be. Your eye doctor needs to order it if they feel the information provided can be useful in either diagnosing or monitoring your eyes.
The test is similar to an EKG, or echocardiogram, in that it measures an electrical signal. Instead of it coming from your heart it comes from your eyes. A black and white checkerboard is shown and the light that goes into your eyes travels back to the retina which is in the back of your eyes. That signal will travel to the visual cortex, which is where our vision is processed in our brains.
The test itself is easy to perform if you are the patient. You sit at a specific length from a computer screen. A technician will clean and place probes on your head so that the signal can be measured. Once the probes are placed a black and white checkerboard display is shown in specific patterns for each individual eye. Once the patterns have been completed the test is done and can be interpreted by your eye doctor.
If you have concerns over your visual system or are wondering which eye conditions could use the VEP information to help your eye doctor please call to schedule an appointment today. (860) 233-2020.
