New evidence of efficacy of transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES)
New evidence of efficacy of transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES)
New analysis shows that OkuStim® therapy can slow progression in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
A new exploratory evaluation of a previous study has now provided further evidence of the effectiveness of OkuStim® therapy. The data show that after one year of TES treatment, visual field deterioration in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) was slowed depending on the stimulation intensity.
Numerous approaches have been investigated in the past for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa. At present, the possibilities of gene and stem cell therapy are being researched in particular, although little of this has been able to be adopted in clinical routine to date. OkuStim® therapy was used in 52 patients who participated in the study from 2011 – 2014. Retinal cells are stimulated by electrical impulses delivered from the outside – via the surface of the eye.
This “transcorneal electrical stimulation” (TES) worked in the study regardless of how advanced the patients’ visual field impairment was at the beginning of the therapy.
Of the patients included in the study (mean age: 46 years), 32 were treated with electrical stimulation between 0.1 and 1.0 mA in one eye at weekly intervals; 20 patients received sham treatment (placebo group). After one year of treatment, an average visual field decline of 2.1% was recorded in the TES-treated eyes and 5.8% in the (non-treated) fellow eyes, while the decline in the eyes from the placebo group was 7.5%. Thus, the decrease in visual field area measured by kinetic perimetry was 64% less in the eyes treated with TES than in the untreated eyes (p=0.013) and 72% less than in the placebo group (p=0.103). This slowing correlated with the strength of stimulation (p=0.047). Treatment was associated with transient mild dry eye symptoms in 23 stimulated patients.
According to the authors, slowing visual field decline with a neuroprotective therapy such as TES offers the chance to delay severe vision loss. It should therefore be used sensibly in patients as early as possible – as long as the centre of the retina is still largely intact and visual function is hardly impaired. The effect of TES in long-term use is being investigated in an ongoing study (Erprobungsstudie) (Kahle et al. 2021).
Here you can download the full press release on the current publication.
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New Partners in Frankfurt
New Partners for Faster Care in Frankfurt
New competence centre and optician expand the availability of TES
We are pleased to have won two new partners for you in the provision of the OkuStim therapy: the Augenzentrum Frankfurt and Teichmann Ohren- und Augenwelt.
Short waiting times for appointments, good transport connections and international expertise are now available close to you.
Eye centre appointments can be conveniently booked online or by phone.
Augenzentrum Frankfurt
Georg-Baumgarten-Str. 3
60549 Frankfurt am Main
Contact person:
Prof. Dr. Frank Koch
Dr. Svenja Deuchler
Appointments:
Tel.: +49 (0) 69 5899 6697
Email: info@augenzentrumfrankfurt.de
Teichmann, a company with a long tradition, is your reliable low-vision partner in Frankfurt’s city centre.
Teichmann Ohren- & Augenwelt UG
Oeder Weg 56
60318 Frankfurt
Contact person:
Ms Mandy Stengler-Schrodt
Tel.: +49 (0) 69 557 519
Fax +49 (0) 69 557 076
Email: mail@ohrenundaugenwelt.de
Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) with OkuStim is the only available topically applied treatment for retinitis pigmentosa with clinically proven safety and efficacy. OkuStim therapy can slow the disease and progressive loss of visual field.
Imminent blindness comparable to state of emergency
Imminent blindness is a situation comparable to a state of emergency
Retinitis Pigmentosa: Health insurance company must retroactively cover costs for OkuStim therapy
A recent ruling by a German social court (Landessozialgericht Niedersachsen-Bremen, LSG) paves the way for the retroactive reimbursement of OkuStim therapy for retinitis pigmentosa (RP). A patient had filed a lawsuit because her health insurance company refused to cover the costs on the grounds that an imminent blindness was not to be expected and that the therapeutic benefit of TES had not yet been evaluated by the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA).
The LSG justified its decision on the basis that the concrete prognosis period for RP could not be determined. Accordingly, the irreversible loss of residual vision and the threat of blindness itself constitute a situation comparable to an emergency, even if the point in time at which the irreparable damage occurs cannot be predicted. With a narrowing of the plaintiff’s field of vision to 10°, the disease had reached a stage where further waiting would no longer be reasonable. Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) with the OkuStim system would no longer have any medical benefit for the plaintiff at a later stage. The plaintiff’s health insurance fund must now reimburse the costs for the purchase of the OkuStim system and cover her future therapy costs.
The plaintiff had unsuccessfully applied to her health insurance company in December 2017 for the costs of OkuStim therapy to be covered. At that time, she still had a visual field of 10 degrees and a visual acuity of 0.8. In the meantime, the plaintiff had started the OkuStim therapy at her own expense. Following a medical opinion, the Regional Social Court stated in the reasons for the ruling that the TES had already had a noticeable positive effect on the course of the disease.
With the OkuStim therapy, the progressive loss of the visual field in retinitis pigmentosa can be slowed down. In an ongoing trial commissioned by the G-BA, the effectiveness and long-term benefit of the therapy are being investigated. Only with a positive benefit assessment can a regular coverage of the therapy costs by the health insurance companies take place. For self-payers, the CE-marked OkuStim system is available through clinical competence centres in several European countries.
Electrical Stimulation as Therapy Option for RP
Electrical Stimulation: as Therapy Option for RP
New ophthalmology guideline recommends electrical stimulation for retinitis pigmentosa
In the amendment of their guideline 25 (now guideline AWMF 045/23) for hereditary retinal, choroidal and visual pathway diseases, the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG), the Retinological Society (RG) and the Professional Association of Ophthalmologists of Germany (Berufsverband der Augenärzte Deutschlands e.V., BVA) refer to electrostimulation as an option for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The text also mentions the large-scale Federal Joint Comittee-appointed clinical investigation that began in May as a possible application context.
Thanks to the revision of the guideline, ophthalmologists now have concrete options for the symptomatic treatment of hereditary retinal dystrophies with electrostimulation in RP and gene therapy in LCA.
You can download the original text of the guideline in German as a PDF file:
– from the website of the Retinological Society
– from the website of the German Ophthalmological Society.
Find our more about the efficacy and safety of the Okutim therapy:
RP, a rare disease
RP, a rare disease
There are 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease. In Germany alone there are around 4 million. Most of the more than 6,000 different rare diseases are of genetic origin. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is one of them.
About one in 4,000 people is affected. There are therapies for only about 3% of rare diseases – the OkuStim therapy for RP is one of them. It can preserve your vision.
We are continuously working to make the OkuStim therapy more accessible. We are expanding our network – now also in Great Britain. Your feedback on the OkuStim therapy is our motivation to continue working for the treatment of rare diseases.
Best wishes,
Okuvision
New Competence Centre London
New Competence Centre London
OkuStim Therapy now also in UK
The OkuStim therapy for retinitis pigmentosa is now also available for you in Great Britain.
Your contact at the Harley Street Eye Centre is Dr. Hakam Ghabra.
22A Harley Street
London W1G 9BP, UK
Dr. Hakam Ghabra
Email: info@eyesat22a.com
Tel.: +44 (0) 20 3968 2030
Mob.: +44 (0) 750 232 0504
Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) with OkuStim is the only available topically applied treatment for retinitis pigmentosa with clinically proven safety and efficacy. OkuStim therapy can slow the disease and progressive loss of visual field.