Effect of levodopa and carbidopa in human amblyopia.
BACKGROUND
To assess the role of continuous therapy for 3 weeks with levodopa and carbidopa in the management of human amblyopia in children and adults.


METHODS
There were 88 amblyopic eyes of 82 subjects included in this double masked randomized prospective clinical trial. Levodopa and carbidopa combination in 2 different dosage schedules were given to both adults and children. The response was monitored of the improvement in visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and visually evoked potentials.


RESULTS
Patients receiving higher dosages of levodopa and carbidopa in both adults and children showed a better response to treatment. However, the effect did not last beyond 9 weeks of stopping treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Though levodopa and carbidopa therapy may not be able to ameliorate amblyopia on its own on a long-term basis, it may be considered nonetheless to be an important adjunct to conventional therapy because it may improve patient compliance for occlusion by improving visual acuity in the amblyopic eye. Thus, it offers promise of improving the functional outcome in these cases. However, longer follow-up trials are needed to substantiate these conclusions.
Pandey
P K
PK
Department of Ophthalmology, Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
Chaudhuri
Zia
Z
Kumar
Maneesh
M
Satyabala
K
K
Sharma
Pankaj
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000550:Amblyopia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002230:Carbidopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity
D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D007980:Levodopa; D002230:Carbidopa