Electroacupuncture as an adjunctive therapy for drug-refractory primary open-angle glaucoma: a CARE-compliant case report.

BACKGROUND

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a progressive optic neuropathy; elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is the only broadly modifiable risk factor. Some elderly patients remain uncontrolled on multi-drug regimens and are not immediate candidates for laser or filtering surgery. This CARE-compliant case report describes an integrative approach in such a patient.

CASE PRESENTATION: This case describes a 76-year-old woman with drug-refractory POAG and fluctuating IOP despite quadruple topical therapy. Adjunct electroacupuncture (EA, twice weekly) was initiated on March 28, 2025. IOP decreased from 12 mmHg in the right eye (OD) / 29 mmHg in the left eye (OS) to within target after the first two sessions and remained stable; best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved from 0.4 (OD) / 0.25 (OS) to 0.5 in both eyes (OU). No major adverse events were observed. The observed clinical course was consistent with previously reported short-term IOP-lowering and ocular-perfusion effects of acupuncture in POAG.

CONCLUSION

EA layered on top of standard care may be a feasible adjunct for short-term IOP stabilization and symptomatic improvement in drug-refractory POAG. However, given that topical antiglaucoma therapy was continued throughout the intervention and the inherent limitations of a single-case design, causal attribution cannot be established, and confirmation in randomized sham-controlled trials with longer follow-up is needed.