Effect of Diurnal Light Conditions on Electroretinogram Responses to Red and Blue Flickering Light

Abstract

Bright light impacts the human circadian system such that exposure to bright light at night can suppress melatonin secretion, and exposure to bright light in the morning prevents light-induced melatonin suppression at night. The preventive effect of morning light may attenuate the prior history of light sensitivity of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) that regulate the circadian system. In this study, we evaluated electroretinogram (ERG) responses to red and blue flickering lights following dim and bright daylight conditions. Eleven healthy females underwent ERG measurements during exposure to 33 Hz flickering red or blue light under dim and bright daytime conditions. We averaged ERG waves for 50 flickering light pulses of the trigger signal data. We obtained the amplitude of the signal-averaged ERG by calculating the difference between the waves’ peaks and bottoms. Although there was no significant dim and bright light difference in the amplitude of ERG waves, the ERG amplitude to flickering blue light under the bright light condition was significantly lower than to flickering blue light under the dim light condition. In this study, blue light stimulated mainly ipRGCs and S-cones. Since S-cones may contribute minimally to the light-adapted 33 Hz flicker ERG results, our findings suggest that bright light during the daytime attenuates the sensitivity of human ipRGCs.