Repetitive transorbital alternating current stimulation in optic neuropathy

Abstract

Background:

Visual field defects after optic nerve damage typically show a limited capacity for spontaneous and treatment-induced recovery.

Objective:

Repetitive transorbital alternating current stimulation (rtACS) was applied to the damaged optic nerve to evaluate visual functions after stimulation.

Methods:

A 27-years-old male patient suffering left optic nerve atrophy with nearly complete loss of vision 11 years after atypical traumatic damage was treated transorbitally with biphasic 10–15 pulse trains of rtACS (10–30 Hz, < 600 μA, 30–40 min daily for 10 days) which produced phosphenes.

Results:

After rtACS treatment detection ability of super-threshold stimuli increased from 3.44% to 17.75% and mean perimetric threshold from 0 dB to 2.21 dB at final diagnostics.

Conclusion:

This improvement of vision may be due to increased neuronal synchronization, possibly involving strengthening of synaptic transmission along the central visual pathway.