Mechanisms of electrical stimulation in eye diseases: A narrative review

Advances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research

Kin Chiu¹  Vincent W.H. Lee²  Kwok Fai So³  Jinfeng Liu³  Andre K.H. Ma⁴ 

[1] Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, SAR, Hong Kong, PR China;The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, SAR, Hong Kong, PR China;Department of Ophthalmology, The University of Hong Kong, SAR, Hong Kong, PR China;Harrow School, Harrow, United Kingdom;

关键词: Electrical stimulation;    Eye diseases;    Ophthalmology;    Retinitis pigmentosa;    Optic neuropathy;   

DOI  :  

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Background: In the last two decades, electrical stimulation (ES) has been tested in patients with various eye diseases and shows great treatment potential in retinitis pigmentosa and optic neuropathy. However, the clinical application of ES in ophthalmology is currently limited. On the one hand, optimization and standardization of ES protocols is still an unmet need. On the other hand, poor understanding of the underlying mechanisms has hindered clinical exploitation. Main Text: Numerous experimental studies have been conducted to identify the treatment potential of ES in eye diseases and to explore the related cellular and molecular mechanisms. In this review, we summarized the in vitro and in vivo evidence related to cellular and tissue response to ES in eye diseases. We highlighted several pathways that may be utilized by ES to impose its effects on the diseased retina. Conclusions: Therapeutic effect of ES in retinal degenerative diseases might through preventing neuronal apoptosis, promoting neuronal regeneration, increasing neurotrophic factors production in Müller cells, inhibiting microglial activation, enhancing retinal blood flow, and modulating brain plasticity. Future studies are suggested to analyse changes in specific retinal cells for optimizing the treatment parameters and choosing the best fit ES delivery method in target diseases.

【 授权许可】

Unknown