Treatment of Residual Amblyopia With Donepezil

Summary

Amblyopia is the leading cause of monocular visual impairment in children and adults. Despite conventional treatment with patching or eye drops, many older children and adults do not achieve normal vision in the amblyopic eye. Donepezil is an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor that increases levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain. Use of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors has been demonstrated by the Hensch lab (Department of Neurology, FM Kirby Neurobiology Center) at Boston Children's Hospital to improve vision and reverse amblyopia in animal models. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of oral donepezil as treatment for residual amblyopia (20/50 - 20/400) in patients 8 years of age and older.

Timeline

Start

2012-08

Primary completion

2021-01

Completion

2021-01

Publications

• Background Morishita H, Miwa JM, Heintz N, Hensch TK. Lynx1, a cholinergic brake, limits plasticity in adult visual cortex. Science. 2010 Nov 26;330(6008):1238-40. doi: 10.1126/science.1195320. Epub 2010 Nov 11.

Drugs

Indications