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Ciliary muscle electrostimulation improves near vision
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Patients with emmetropic presbyopia who underwent pulsed ciliary muscle electrostimulation demonstrated improved short-term near vision ability, according to a study.
Researchers examined the effects of pulsed ciliary muscle electrostimulation in 27 patients with early emmetropic presbyopia between the ages of 40 and 51 years. Patients underwent four sessions, one every 2 weeks, within a 2-month period. Patients underwent 8 minutes of treatment during each session, with 60 cycles of electrostimulation given. Each session consisted of 2 seconds of electric stimulation and 6 seconds of rest.
Before treatment, each patient in the prospective, nonrandomized study required near sphere add between +0.75 D and +1.5 D.
After treatment, reading speed and bilateral and monocular uncorrected near vision acuity (UNVA) continuously improved in the treated group compared with an age- and refraction-matched control group. Reading speed improved after the first treatment session and UNVA improved after the second.
“Considering the UNVA for each eye, there was a continuous improvement. UNVA [in both eyes] was better than in separated eyes, which shows the improvement due to binocularity,” the researchers wrote.
In a questionnaire given 2 weeks after the fourth treatment, 26 of the 27 patients said they were satisfied and felt a “real improvement” in their vision. However, the improvements gained from electrostimulation are expected to last only for a limited time, the researchers said. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosures: Gualdi reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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