Pilot study of oral administration of a curcumin-phospholipid formulation for treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this open-label study was to investigate the effect of a curcumin-phospholipid (lecithin, Meriva(®)) formulation (Norflo(®) tablet) on visual acuity and retinal thickness in patients with acute or chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. METHODS: Visual acuity was assessed by ophthalmologic evaluation, and optical coherence tomography was used to measure retinal thickness. Norflo tablets were administered twice a day to patients affected by central serous chorioretinopathy. The study included 18 eyes from 12 patients who completed a 6-month follow-up period. Visual acuity before and after Norflo treatment was the primary endpoint. The secondary endpoints were neuroretinal or pigment epithelial detachment, as measured by optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: After 6 months of therapy, 0% of eyes showed reduction in visual acuity, 39% showed stabilization, and 61% showed improvement. The improvement was statistically significant (P = 0.08). After 6 months of therapy, 78% of eyes showed reduction of neuroretinal or retinal pigment epithelium detachment, 11% showed stabilization, and 11% showed an increase. CONCLUSION: Our results, albeit preliminary, show that curcumin administered as Norflo tablets is efficacious for the management of central serous chorioretinopathy, a relapsing eye disease, and suggest that bioavailable curcumin is worth considering as a therapeutic agent for the management of inflammatory and degenerative eye conditions, including those that activate the retinal microglia.