Electrical stimulation — a therapeutic strategy for retinal and optic nerve disease?

Gekeler, Florian; Bartz‐Schmidt, Karl Ulrich

doi:10.1007/s00417-012-1930-y

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…1 In a summary paper by Gekeler and Bartz-Schmidt, subthreshold visual stimulation in inactive retinal implants leading to improvements in residual areas of vision was stated to be the result of a release of neurotrophic factors. 2 Twenty peer-reviewed publications in PubMed over the last 5 years reflect renewed interest in microcurrent therapy. 3 Since then, transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) and transpalpebral electrical stimulation (TPES) placement of the electrodes over the closed lid has been used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microcurrent stimulation in the treatment of dry and wet macular degeneration

Chaikin

Kashiwa²,

Bennet³

et al. 2015

OPTH

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PurposeTo determine the safety and efficacy of the application of transcutaneous (transpalpebral) microcurrent stimulation to slow progression of dry and wet macular degeneration or improve vision in dry and wet macular degeneration.MethodsSeventeen patients aged between 67 and 95 years with an average age of 83 years were selected to participate in the study over a period of 3 months in two eye care centers. There were 25 eyes with dry age-related macular degeneration (DAMD) and six eyes with wet age-related macular degeneration (WAMD). Frequency-specific microcurrent stimulation was applied in a transpalpebral manner, using two programmable dual channel microcurrent units delivering pulsed microcurrent at 150 µA for 35 minutes once a week. The frequency pairs selected were based on targeting tissues, which are typically affected by the disease combined with frequencies that target disease processes. Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study or Snellen visual acuity (VA) was measured before and after each treatment session. All treatment was administered in a clinical setting.ResultsSignificant increases were seen in VA in DAMD (P=0.012, Wilcoxon one-sample test), but in WAMD, improvements did not reach statistical significance (P=0.059). In DAMD eyes, twice as many patients showed increase in VA (52%) compared to those showing deterioration (26%), with improvements being often sizeable, whereas deteriorations were usually very slight. In WAMD eyes, five of six (83%) patients showed an increase and none showed deterioration.ConclusionThe substantial changes observed over this period, combined with continued improvement for patients who continued treatment once a month, are encouraging for future studies. The changes observed indicate the potential efficacy of microcurrent to delay degeneration and possibly improve age-related macular degeneration, both wet and dry. However, this study has no control arm, so results should be treated with caution. Randomized double-blind controlled studies are needed to determine long-term effects.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microcurrent stimulation in the treatment of dry and wet macular degeneration

Chaikin

Kashiwa²,

Bennet³

et al. 2015

OPTH

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“…The retina in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is characterized by restriction of the retinal blood circulation caused by thinning of the vascular plexus and obliteration of vessels, and 1 study showed that TES induced phosphenes and increased vasodilatory effects that protected RP retinas. 10,29,33 Despite evidence supporting the neuroprotective effects of TES, additional studies determining the optimal parameters and the long-term stability of TES are necessary before establishing TES as a standard treatment modality against retinal and optic neuropathy. 29…”

Section: Despite the Rise Of Electrotherapeutics In Ophthal-mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Use of Electrotherapeutics in Ophthalmology

Luu

Zhao

Mannis

2020

American Journal of Ophthalmology

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To present a perspective on the use of electrotherapeutics in the history of ophthalmology along with the development of novel contemporary ophthalmic instrumentation. DESIGN: Perspective study. METHODS: We reviewed historical journals, articles, and books discussing the use of electricity and electrotherapeutics in ophthalmology. RESULTS: Electrotherapeutic applications have been researched and used to treat ocular diseases as far back as the 18th century. By the 20th century, research in electrotherapeutics in ophthalmology had caught the eye of Edward Jackson, the first president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and first editor of the present (third) series American Journal of Ophthalmology. Edward Jackson published an extensive review on this topic and reported a variety of modalities used to treat ocular diseases. CONCLUSIONS: While many early therapeutic uses of electricity did not produce effective and replicable results, studies on electrical stimulation of the eye provided the foundation for the development of clinically significant vision enhancing and restoring instrumentation.

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“…Electrostimulation has a long history in ophthalmology and was thought to be bene icial in 1873. 5 Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) has been used for the treatment of amblyopia and amauroses, for retino-choroiditis with pigment in iltration, glaucoma and optic atrophy. 2 TES has been shown in many studies to have positive effects on patients with retinitis pigmentosa, ischemic optic neuropathy, traumatic optic neuropathy and retinal artery occlusions with insigni icant complications [5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%