A recent study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology reports that acupuncture is an effective therapy for a type of ‘lazy eye’ called anisometropic amblyopia. This condition is characterized by poor vision in an eye that may otherwise be considered physically normal. The researchers also note that acupuncture is a superior treatment modality to the current approach of patching the good eye to strengthen the lazy eye. The researchers conclude, “Acupuncture produced equivalent treatment effect for anisometropic amblyopia, compared with patching, and was statistically superior. Further studies are warranted to investigate its value in the treatment of amblyopia.”
Reference:
Jianhao Zhao, MD; Dennis S. C. Lam, MD, FRCOphth; Li Jia Chen, PhD; Yunxiu Wang, BMed; Chongren Zheng, DEpid; Qiaoer Lin, DN; Srinivas K. Rao, FRCS; Dorothy S. P. Fan, FRCS; Mingzhi Zhang, MD; Ping Chung Leung, MD; Robert Ritch, MD, FRCOphth. Randomized Controlled Trial of Patching vs Acupuncture for Anisometropic Amblyopia in Children Aged 7 to 12 Years. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010;128(12):1510-1517.
