Treatment: L-dopa & Amblyopia
Amblyopia (lazy eye) treatment is
also being explored with a powerful neurological drug historically used for
treating Parkinson's disease. It offers hope and controversy.
Several recent articles have been published in the professional press about levodopa or L-dopa. Research has been conducted at Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio by L.E. Leguire, Ph.D.. Findings indicate that L-dopa given orally (5mg/ml) over two months can provide permanent vision improvement for people with amblyopia.
Dr. David Peed reported at the 44th Congress of the National Eye Institute that levodopa can increase acuity by an average of two lines in the amblyopic eye. This means that an amblyopia of 20/60 will usually improve to 20/40 or better with L-dopa.
Long term results are not known. However, results to date indicate the vision function improvement is permanent to at least six months. Research has been published in journals such as Investigative Ophthalmology and Journal of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus but the treatment is not recognized by the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
Potential side effects associated with L-dopa include fatigue, headaches, mood changes, sleeping problems and nausea. The dosage level and treatment duration are only a tiny fraction of that used for Parkinson patients. Blood pressure, blood chemistry and pulse rate were not affected in a study conducted by Dr. Leguire. He did find a reduction in respiration and body temperature during his studies. These decreases returned to baseline after the treatment.
Levodopa (Sinemet) can not be patented. For that reason the drug companies are reluctant to support its use with amblyopia because it would not be a big money-maker.
The exact mechanism by which the drug improves vision for amblyopia patients remains unknown. Levodopa enhances the production of dopamine in the central nervous system. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter known to conduct visual images and found in the retina and central nervous system according to Dr. Peed.
Detailed information on research can be found here.
(This article is summarized from the AOA News 10/4/1999, page 5)
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