Electroretinograms (P-ERG) and cortical potentials (P-VECP) evoked by checkerboard patterns were examined in patients with defects of the ganglion cell and nerve fiber layers due to glaucoma. Only a few patients exhibited a prolonged latency in the P-VECP, whereas in the P-ERG all patients with papillary and visual field defects revealed a significantly attenuated amplitude. Since there is a substantial fluctuation in the assessment of papillary excavation and visual field, the P-ERG offers a further means of evaluating and follow-up of retinal function in glaucoma patients.