Presentation Title
Longitudinal Study of Efficacy of Retreatment and Duration of Visual Improvements following Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation in Three Individuals with Retinitis Pigmentosa
Speaker Credentials
Associate Professor
Speaker Credentials
MS
College
College of Optometry
Location
Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA
Format
Podium Presentation
Start Date
16-2-2018 10:45 AM
End Date
16-2-2018 11:15 AM
Abstract
Objective: A small-scale randomized controlled trial conducted by our group found that four of seven retinitis pigmentosa (RP) subjects who received six weekly Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation (TES) sessions developed significant improvements in visual acuity (VA), quick contrast sensitivity function (qCSF), and/or Goldmann visual fields (GVF). We longitudinally monitored three of these participants for declining visual function due to natural RP progression to determine the duration of their responses and administered retreatments. Background: Retinitis Pigmentosa is a hereditary ocular disease that leads to restricted visual fields and night blindness. It has been resistant to any treatments which might mitigate the effects of the disease. The initial experience with TES has shown encouraging results. Methods: Over a period of 29-35 months, repeated ETDRS VA, qCSF and/or GVF tests and three to six TES treatment courses consisting of six weekly sessions were administered in each eye of three RP participants every four to 16 months in an unmasked, prospective case series study Results: For two participants, there were significant VA improvements of 44-52 letters (0.88-1.04 logMAR) and 15-23 letters (0.3-0.46 logMAR) in the worse eye at baseline after each of three or four treatment courses of TES compared to initial baseline. They had no significant decreases from baseline for VA or qCSF over 29 to 35 months, The third participant had a significant mean improvement in VA in the eye with better baseline vision (p=0.004) and binocularly (p Conclusion: Following encouraging visual improvements after TES that lasted for several months, it appears it may be possible to restore and prevent slowly diminishing vision over time with retreatments, which requires confirmation in a large-scale randomized controlled trial.
Longitudinal Study of Efficacy of Retreatment and Duration of Visual Improvements following Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation in Three Individuals with Retinitis Pigmentosa
Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Florida, USA
Objective: A small-scale randomized controlled trial conducted by our group found that four of seven retinitis pigmentosa (RP) subjects who received six weekly Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation (TES) sessions developed significant improvements in visual acuity (VA), quick contrast sensitivity function (qCSF), and/or Goldmann visual fields (GVF). We longitudinally monitored three of these participants for declining visual function due to natural RP progression to determine the duration of their responses and administered retreatments. Background: Retinitis Pigmentosa is a hereditary ocular disease that leads to restricted visual fields and night blindness. It has been resistant to any treatments which might mitigate the effects of the disease. The initial experience with TES has shown encouraging results. Methods: Over a period of 29-35 months, repeated ETDRS VA, qCSF and/or GVF tests and three to six TES treatment courses consisting of six weekly sessions were administered in each eye of three RP participants every four to 16 months in an unmasked, prospective case series study Results: For two participants, there were significant VA improvements of 44-52 letters (0.88-1.04 logMAR) and 15-23 letters (0.3-0.46 logMAR) in the worse eye at baseline after each of three or four treatment courses of TES compared to initial baseline. They had no significant decreases from baseline for VA or qCSF over 29 to 35 months, The third participant had a significant mean improvement in VA in the eye with better baseline vision (p=0.004) and binocularly (p Conclusion: Following encouraging visual improvements after TES that lasted for several months, it appears it may be possible to restore and prevent slowly diminishing vision over time with retreatments, which requires confirmation in a large-scale randomized controlled trial.