Influence of Electro-Acupuncture on Diplopia in Patients With Oculomotor and Abducens Nerves Palsy.

BACKGROUND

Diplopia (DP) can have a significant negative impact on one's quality of life, many clinical investigations lend credence to the notion that acupuncture could be used to treat DP symptoms, randomized controlled trials are lacking, and only clinical observational studies have assessed the effectiveness of acupuncture in managing DP.

PURPOSE: To examine the influence of electro-acupuncture on diplopia in patients with oculomotor and abducens nerve palsy.

METHODS

Forty eyes diagnosed with diplopia were randomly classified into study group (A) that received electro acupuncture therapy and standard prophylactic medications for 4 weeks at points selected for treating double vision, and control group (B) who received standard prophylactic medications only. The Hess screen test was used to measure degrees of deviation.

RESULTS

There were statistically significant differences in the post-test (p = 0.38 and 0.003 respectively) in favor of the study group.

DISCUSSION: In conclusion, integration between acupuncture therapies and standard prophylactic medications yields better results in treating DP.