Effect of Can Acupuncture Therapy on Patients with Retinitis-Pigmentosa

To evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy on patients with retinitis-pigmentosa.
This was a prospective, interventional, self-control, case series study of 43 eyes of 23 RP subjects, each receiving 10 half-hour body acupuncture sessions with a standardized protocol. Pre- and post-treatment tests included BCVA, UCVA, NVA (Snellen chart), perimetry (Humphry perimeter), and full-field ERG (Metrovision-Monopack system). Statistical testing was carried out by SPSS-19. P-value≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. The samples were selected using convenient sampling.
In the UCVA, BCVA and NVA tests, improvements after the acupuncture therapy were statistically and clinically significant (p=0.048, p=0.0005 and p=0.002, respectively). Moreover, in the perimetry test, the changes of mean Foveal threshold (MFT) and mean deviation (MD) were statistically, but not clinically, significant (p=0.031 and p=0.02, respectively). In the ERG variables, changes in the scotopic b/a ratio and photopic b/a ratio were significant clinically, although not significant statistically. There was no statistically significant difference between different age groups and sexes. Subjective symptoms of improvement were observed in almost all the cases.
Acupuncture therapy can be advantageous to retinitis pigmentosa patients’ visual function improvement.