Visual acuities after levodopa administration in amblyopia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of the augmentation of levodopa with part-time and full-time occlusion on visual acuity and to determine its late results in amblyopia.


METHODS
Seventy-two patients with amblyopia were prospectively studied and randomly distributed into groups A, B, and C consisting of 24 patients each. Group A patients received levodopa alone, group B received levodopa and part-time (3 hours/day) occlusion, and group C received levodopa and full-time (during all waking hours) occlusion of the dominant eye. Levodopa 0.50 mg/kg body weight, with a 25% fixed dose combination of carbidopa, was administered orally three times a day for 7 weeks. Snellen visual acuity and its logMAR equivalent were recorded before treatment, at weeks 1, 3, 5, and 7 after starting treatment, and every 6 weeks for 1 year after the completion of treatment.


RESULTS
Fifty-three (74%) of the 72 patients had an improvement in visual acuity after treatment. Forty-four of the 53 patients with improved visual acuities completed 1-year post-treatment follow-up. Twenty-three (52%) of the 44 patients had a regression in visual acuity.


CONCLUSIONS
The augmentation of levodopa with part-time or full-time occlusion does not enhance the recovery of vision in amblyopia. Improved visual acuity after levodopa administration persists at least 1 year in almost half of patients after cessation of treatment. Addition of full-time occlusion to levodopa helps maintain improved visual acuity for a longer duration compared to levodopa alone or combined with part-time occlusion.
Mohan
K
K
Department of Ophthalmology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Dhankar
V
V
Sharma
A
A
D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002230:Carbidopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015259:Dopamine Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012683:Sensory Deprivation; D013285:Strabismus / Q000150:complications; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D015259:Dopamine Agents; D007980:Levodopa; D002230:Carbidopa