Electrophysiological parameters in patients with the «dry» form of age-related macular degeneration treated with polarized polychromatic non-coherent light and dynamic electromyostimulation

Abstract

Aim. To study the electrophysiological parameters in patients with the «dry» form of age-related macular degeneration before and after combined treatment with polarized polychromatic non-coherent light and dynamic electromyostimulation. Methods. Two groups of patients with the «dry» form of age-related macular degeneration were examined. Patients in the main group (40 patients, 80 eyes) were treated with a combination of polarized polychromatic non-coherent light and dynamic electromyostimulation, patients in the control group (39 patients, 78 eyes) were treated conventionally. Mean age of the patients was 71.3±1.1 years. All patients underwent standard ophthalmic examination. To assess the functional status of the macula, electroretinography was performed using the «Neuro-MVP» device (Ivanovo, Russia). A-wave amplitude and latency on the red light stimulus were examined. Results. A-wave amplitude on macular electroretinogram was 11.9% lower and A-wave latency was 20.8% higher in patients with age-related macular degeneration compared to healthy subjects. A statistically significant improvement of the A-wave amplitude and latency was observed on macular electroretinogram after the combined treatment. A-wave amplitude increased from 13.22±1.36 to 17.17±1.59 µV (p 0.01) after 2 months and up to 17.80±1.60 µV (p 0.05) after 6 months of treatment. A-wave latency decreased from 19.32±0.41 to 18.51±0.36 ms (p 0.01) after 2 months and down to 18.31±0.45 ms (p 0.05) after 6 months of treatment. There was a relevant increase in A-wave amplitude from 13.15±1.09 to 16.3±1.09 µV (p 0.01) and decrease in A-wave latency from 19.23±0.30 to 18.64±0.30 ms (p 0.05) in patients of the control group 2 months after the end of treatment. Conclusion. There were relevant increase in A-wave amplitude and decrease in A-wave latency observed on macular electroretinography after treatment. The proposed treatment method does not cause any complications and can be used as a treatment option in patients with allergic reactions to standard drugs.