Can acupuncture therapy help patients with retinitis-pigmentosa?

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of acupuncture therapy on visual function of patients with retinitis-pigmentosa (RP).

Methods: In a prospective study, 23 RP subjects received ten sessions of body-acupuncture. Pre and post-treatment evaluations included best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), near visual acuity (NVA), and static 30-2 perimetry.

Results: UCVA, BCVA, and NVA improvements after acupuncture therapy were statistically and clinically significant ( P  = 0.048, P  = 0.0005, P  = 0.002, respectively). The changes of mean foveal threshold (MFT) and mean deviation (MD) were statistically significant ( P  = 0.031, P  = 0.02). There were no statistically significant difference between different age group and genders. Subjective symptoms of improvement were seen in most of cases.

Conclusion: Future studies are needed to show the effect of acupuncture therapy on visual function of patients with RP.