Research of the effects of one acupuncture method for patients with glaucoma, focusing on intraocular pressure (IOP) and visual acuity.
Objective
To explore the possibility of using acupuncture for patients with glaucoma.
Design
Pilot study utilizing a one-group preintervention, postintervention design.
Setting
Eleven patients with glaucoma were recruited through advertisement at the clinic for glaucoma.
Intervention
Acupuncture was carried out twice a week over 5 weeks.
Outcome Measures
IOP, visual acuity, and subjective symptoms were observed at 15 minutes before and after acupuncture once a week and in a four-week follow-up.
Results
IOP was significantly improved at 15 minutes after acupuncture, at one week, two weeks, and five weeks and tended to be lower weekly. Uncorrected visual acuity was significantly improved at three weeks, four weeks, and five weeks, and best corrected visual acuity was significantly improved at five weeks. However at the four-week follow-up, significance remained only in uncorrected visual acuity.
Conclusions
Although these results should be interpreted cautiously, acupuncture can be used to supplement the conventional therapy for glaucoma.
1Department of Geriatric and Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine
2Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University School of Medicine
3Department of Geriatric and Complementary Medicine, Center for Asian Traditional Medicine Research, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
Corresponding author. Address: Department of Geriatric and Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan.
No proprietary interests or research funding for this study.
ABSTRACT