Background: Occult macular dystrophy (OMD) is a binocular hereditable macular disease caused by Retinitis pigmentosa 1-like 1(RP1L1) gene variation. Currently, there is no effective treatment for OMD. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is an innovative treatment for ophthalmological conditions by stimulate mitochondrial function. In this paper, we report a case of OMD and the effects of LLLT on this patient. Case Presentation: A 20-year-old man was diagnosed with OMD by genetic diagnosis. At presentation, the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 3 letters (ETDRS) in his right eye (RE) and 12 letters in his left eye (LE). Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) revealed a blurred Elipsoid zone (EZ) and interdigitation zone (IZ) at the macular area of both eyes. The multifocal electroretinogram (MF-ERG) response amplitudes were reduced, and physiological blind spots were expanded in both eyes detected by perimetry. The full field electroretinogram (FF-ERG) examination, fluorescein angiograms (FFA), and fundus examination were normal. After an adequate evaluation of the safety of LLLT and with the patient's consent, the patient was treated with LLLT for 4 weeks (twice a day). For LLLT, the fundus was irradiated through the cornea for 180 sec with laser light (wavelength 650nm; average power 2.0±0.5 mW). The BCVA increased to 20 letters in both eyes, and the MF-ERG amplitude and vision sensitivity detected by the perimeter increased too. However, the morphology of the EZ and IZ measured by SD-OCT didn’t change. Conclusions: LLLT was shown to improve and maintain vision in a patient with OMD and may have contributed to improving the function of photoreceptor cells.
| Published in | International Journal of Ophthalmology & Visual Science (Volume 10, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12 |
| Page(s) | 35-41 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Occult Macular Dystrophy, Low-Level Laser Therapy, Retinopathy, Case Report
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APA Style
Ren, J., Wang, H., Xu, J. N., Isa, M. Z. A., Rahman, M. M., et al. (2025). Low-Level Laser Therapy Improves Visual Function in Occult Macular Dystrophy. International Journal of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 10(2), 35-41. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12
ACS Style
Ren, J.; Wang, H.; Xu, J. N.; Isa, M. Z. A.; Rahman, M. M., et al. Low-Level Laser Therapy Improves Visual Function in Occult Macular Dystrophy. Int. J. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2025, 10(2), 35-41. doi: 10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12,
author = {Jun Ren and Hui Wang and Jiang Ning Xu and Mohd Zaki Awg Isa and Mohd Mizanur Rahman and Yi Wang},
title = {Low-Level Laser Therapy Improves Visual Function in Occult Macular Dystrophy
},
journal = {International Journal of Ophthalmology & Visual Science},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {35-41},
doi = {10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijovs.20251002.12},
abstract = {Background: Occult macular dystrophy (OMD) is a binocular hereditable macular disease caused by Retinitis pigmentosa 1-like 1(RP1L1) gene variation. Currently, there is no effective treatment for OMD. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is an innovative treatment for ophthalmological conditions by stimulate mitochondrial function. In this paper, we report a case of OMD and the effects of LLLT on this patient. Case Presentation: A 20-year-old man was diagnosed with OMD by genetic diagnosis. At presentation, the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 3 letters (ETDRS) in his right eye (RE) and 12 letters in his left eye (LE). Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) revealed a blurred Elipsoid zone (EZ) and interdigitation zone (IZ) at the macular area of both eyes. The multifocal electroretinogram (MF-ERG) response amplitudes were reduced, and physiological blind spots were expanded in both eyes detected by perimetry. The full field electroretinogram (FF-ERG) examination, fluorescein angiograms (FFA), and fundus examination were normal. After an adequate evaluation of the safety of LLLT and with the patient's consent, the patient was treated with LLLT for 4 weeks (twice a day). For LLLT, the fundus was irradiated through the cornea for 180 sec with laser light (wavelength 650nm; average power 2.0±0.5 mW). The BCVA increased to 20 letters in both eyes, and the MF-ERG amplitude and vision sensitivity detected by the perimeter increased too. However, the morphology of the EZ and IZ measured by SD-OCT didn’t change. Conclusions: LLLT was shown to improve and maintain vision in a patient with OMD and may have contributed to improving the function of photoreceptor cells.
},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Low-Level Laser Therapy Improves Visual Function in Occult Macular Dystrophy AU - Jun Ren AU - Hui Wang AU - Jiang Ning Xu AU - Mohd Zaki Awg Isa AU - Mohd Mizanur Rahman AU - Yi Wang Y1 - 2025/06/03 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12 DO - 10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12 T2 - International Journal of Ophthalmology & Visual Science JF - International Journal of Ophthalmology & Visual Science JO - International Journal of Ophthalmology & Visual Science SP - 35 EP - 41 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2637-3858 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijovs.20251002.12 AB - Background: Occult macular dystrophy (OMD) is a binocular hereditable macular disease caused by Retinitis pigmentosa 1-like 1(RP1L1) gene variation. Currently, there is no effective treatment for OMD. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is an innovative treatment for ophthalmological conditions by stimulate mitochondrial function. In this paper, we report a case of OMD and the effects of LLLT on this patient. Case Presentation: A 20-year-old man was diagnosed with OMD by genetic diagnosis. At presentation, the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 3 letters (ETDRS) in his right eye (RE) and 12 letters in his left eye (LE). Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) revealed a blurred Elipsoid zone (EZ) and interdigitation zone (IZ) at the macular area of both eyes. The multifocal electroretinogram (MF-ERG) response amplitudes were reduced, and physiological blind spots were expanded in both eyes detected by perimetry. The full field electroretinogram (FF-ERG) examination, fluorescein angiograms (FFA), and fundus examination were normal. After an adequate evaluation of the safety of LLLT and with the patient's consent, the patient was treated with LLLT for 4 weeks (twice a day). For LLLT, the fundus was irradiated through the cornea for 180 sec with laser light (wavelength 650nm; average power 2.0±0.5 mW). The BCVA increased to 20 letters in both eyes, and the MF-ERG amplitude and vision sensitivity detected by the perimeter increased too. However, the morphology of the EZ and IZ measured by SD-OCT didn’t change. Conclusions: LLLT was shown to improve and maintain vision in a patient with OMD and may have contributed to improving the function of photoreceptor cells. VL - 10 IS - 2 ER -
Aier College of Ophthalmology, Central South University, Changsha, China
Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing, China School of Graduate Studies, Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Malaysia
Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Chongqing, China
MSU Centre of Excellence for Vision and Eyecare, Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
MSU Centre of Excellence for Vision and Eyecare, Management and Science University, Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
Aier College of Ophthalmology, Central South University, Changsha, China Chongqing Aier Eye Hospital, Chongqing, China
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