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.