Portable brain-computer interface provides objective visual function test for glaucoma

  A new portable electroretinography device that can be used in conjunction with an iPhone can provide good objective measurements of visual field loss on a par with standard automated perimetry (SAP) and other types of visual field testing, said C Gustavo De Moraes, MD, MPH, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. “This portable brain computer interface makes electroretinography a lot easier and gives you a very good estimate of function in a more objective way than achromatic perimetry,” Dr De Moraes told the    7^th World Glaucoma Congress in Helsinki, Finland. The device, called the nGoggle, was developed by Felipe Medeiros MD PhD and his associates. It consists of a wearable, wireless, dry electroencephalogram system and a head-mounted cell phone-based display. It allows detection of steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) corresponding to pattern reversal visual stimuli. Dr De Moraes noted that in a study by Medeiros’ team, the portable electroretinographer was able to distinguish between patients with and without glaucoma equal specificity and greater sensitivity than automated perimetry. In addition, the regions of the retina where the nGoggle device showed diminished sensitivity corresponded closely to the pattern deviation plots obtained through SAP.