Levodopa as a possible treatment of visual loss in nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy

Purpose To determine the clinical effectiveness and potential neuroprotection of levodopa in improving visual acuity, visual field, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in eyes affected by NAION. Method Retrospective cohort study involving 59 eyes of 59 participants with NAION who were eva...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology 2016-04, Vol.254 (4), p.757-764
Main Authors: Lyttle, Deanna P., Johnson, Lenworth N., Margolin, Edward A., Madsen, Richard W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Arteritis - diagnosis
Arteritis - drug therapy
Dopamine Agents - therapeutic use
Female
Humans
Levodopa - therapeutic use
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Nerve Fibers - pathology
Neurophthalmology
Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use
Ophthalmology
Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic - diagnosis
Optic Neuropathy, Ischemic - drug therapy
Retinal Ganglion Cells - pathology
Retrospective Studies
Tomography, Optical Coherence
Visual Acuity - drug effects
Visual Field Tests
Visual Fields - drug effects
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Summary:Purpose To determine the clinical effectiveness and potential neuroprotection of levodopa in improving visual acuity, visual field, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in eyes affected by NAION. Method Retrospective cohort study involving 59 eyes of 59 participants with NAION who were evaluated within 15 days of NAION onset. Participants received 25 mg carbidopa/100 mg levodopa three times daily with meals for 12 weeks (levodopa group) or were untreated (control group). Best-corrected visual acuity converted to logMAR, mean deviation (MD) threshold sensitivity on automated perimetry, and mean RNFL thickness on optical coherence tomography (OCT) were assessed. The primary outcome was the categorization of eyes into improved visual acuity (by 0.3 logMAR difference), worsened visual acuity (by 0.3 logMAR difference), or no change in visual acuity. The proportions in each category were compared between the levodopa and control groups. Results Among participants with 20/60 or worse initial visual acuity, levodopa-treated participants had significant improvement ( P  
ISSN:0721-832X
1435-702X
DOI:10.1007/s00417-015-3191-z