Acupuncture For Patients With Glaucoma

Kurusu, Masayuki; Watanabe, Kei; Nakazawa, Toru; Seki, Takashi; Arai, Hiroyuki; Sasaki, Hidetada; Fuse, Nobuo; Tamai, Makoto

doi:10.1016/j.explore.2005.06.007

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Volume 1, Issue 5 , Pages 372-376, September 2005

Acupuncture For Patients With Glaucoma

Masayuki Kurusu, MD, PhD
- Department of Geriatric and Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine
- Corresponding author. Address: Department of Geriatric and Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan.
Kei Watanabe, MD
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University School of Medicine
Toru Nakazawa, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University School of Medicine
Takashi Seki, MD, PhD
- Department of Geriatric and Complementary Medicine, Center for Asian Traditional Medicine Research, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
Hiroyuki Arai, MD, PhD
- Department of Geriatric and Complementary Medicine, Center for Asian Traditional Medicine Research, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
Hidetada Sasaki, MD, PhD
- Department of Geriatric and Respiratory Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine
Nobuo Fuse, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University School of Medicine
Makoto Tamai, MD, PhD
- Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University School of Medicine

Context

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.