Fluoxetine Enhances Visual Acuity in Adults with Amblyopia Under Patching: Study
Researchers have found that fluoxetine improves visual acuity significantly in adults with amblyopia under standard patching therapy. A new study was recently published in the Journal of AAPOS conducted by Arash M. and colleagues .
This was a randomized clinical trial conducted among adults aged 18 years or older diagnosed with anisometropic or strabismic amblyopia. Prior to intervention, all the participants were given standard amblyopia treatment in terms of glasses and patching for four months. Thereafter, they were randomized into two groups as follows:
• Fluoxetine Group: Given fluoxetine 20 mg/day for three months with continuation of patching.
• Placebo Group: Provided with a placebo for three months with continuation of patching.
• Baseline and after the treatment period, visual acuity and VEP parameters were measured.
The total number of participants that completed the study was 55, with 29 in the fluoxetine and 26 in the placebo group. The average age of the participants was 27.2 ± 8.6 years, ranging between 18 and 54 years.
Key Findings
Visual Acuity Improvement:
• In the fluoxetine group, mean change in logMAR visual acuity was 0.20 ± 0.24 (range: 0-0.8) (P < 0.001).
• For the placebo group, this was 0.08 ± 0.15 (range: 0-0.7) (P = 0.01).
• The difference in favour of the fluoxetine treatment group was significantly higher than for the placebo treatment group with a P-value of 0.04.
• By the end of the study, the mean visual acuity in the fluoxetine group was 0.36 ± 0.21 logMAR, better than that in the placebo group, which was 0.43 ± 0.35 logMAR.
Visual-Evoked Potential Parameters:
• N75 amplitude changes did not reach significance in both groups compared with baseline. However, the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.05).
• N135 latency significantly improved within the fluoxetine group compared with baseline (P = 0.03).
Fluoxetine treatment significantly improved visual acuity and certain VEP parameters in adults undergoing patching for amblyopia. This study underscores fluoxetine’s potential to augment standard treatments for amblyopia in adults, offering new hope for effective management of this condition.
Reference:
Mirmohammadsadeghi, A., Mousavi, A., Akbari, M. R., Khojasteh, H., Masoomian, B., Sadeghi, M., Yadegari, S., & Asadigandomani, H. (2024). Fluoxetine as a possible treatment for adult amblyopia: results of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of AAPOS, 28(5), 104009.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaapos.2024.104009
