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Windows‐based software for recording clinical electroretinograms
Author(s) -
SANDBERG M
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.2011.4323.x
Subject(s) - computer science , software , computer hardware , midi , signal (programming language) , filter (signal processing) , data acquisition , oscilloscope , computer vision , operating system , telecommunications , detector , programming language
Purpose To develop user‐friendly Windows‐based software for recording submicrovolt clinical full‐field electroretinograms (ERGs). Methods LabVIEW (National Instruments) — a parallel, graphical language based on structured dataflow diagramming created for data acquisition and instrument control — was used to write ERG software that runs on Windows XP. Data acquisition and instrument control are enabled with a National Instruments 16‐bit PCI Multifunction DAQ card. Results This software simulates a signal‐averaging storage oscilloscope and has been used in our clinic since 2007 to record responses to 1/minute, 0.5 Hz, and 30 Hz flashes. The front panel includes virtual controls for a digital notch filter, a digital low‐pass filter, a digital band‐pass filter centered at 30 Hz, and an artifact reject buffer. Responses are saved to a sequential file readable by a spreadsheet program. A key feature when averaging cone ERGs to 30 Hz flashes is that ocular noise is removed independent of signal size, so that a low reject threshold can be used for every patient without attenuating the signal. The program can resolve cone ERGs as small as 0.05 µV to quantify retinal function in nearly all patients with retinitis pigmentosa. Conclusion Programming in LabVIEW allows the creation of Windows‐based software that is user‐friendly and state‐of‐the‐art for resolving submicrovolt responses to 30 Hz flashes.