Enhancement of retinal function and of neural conduction along the visual pathway induced by treatment with citicoline eye drops in liposomal formulation in open angle glaucoma: a pilot electrofunctional study

Introduction: To evaluate the retinal function and the relative neural conduction along the visual pathway after treatment with citicoline in liposomal formulation (CLF) eye drops in patients with open angle glaucoma (OAG).Methods: Twelve OAG patients (mean agestandard deviation 52.58 +/- 11.39 years, intraocular pressure < 18 mmHg under topical hypotensive treatment, Humphrey field analyzer mean deviation -4.49 +/- 2.46 dB) were enrolled. Only one eye of studied patients was treated with CLF eye drops (OMK1-LF (R), Omikron Italia, 3 drops/day) (CLF group, 12 eyes) over a period of 4 months. In CLF eyes, pattern electroretinogram (PERG), visual evoked potentials (VEP), and visual field test were assessed at baseline and at the end of treatment (month 4).Results: After treatment with CLF eye drops, a significant increase of PERG P50-N95 amplitude and a significant shortening of VEP P100 implicit time were found. In CLF eyes, the shortening of VEP P100 implicit time was significantly correlated with the increase of PERG P50-N95 amplitude.Conclusion: Data from this pilot study suggest that treatment with CLF eye drops induces an enhancement of the retinal bioelectrical responses (increase of PERG amplitude) with a consequent improvement of the bioelectrical activity of the visual cortex (shortening of VEP implicit time).