Study finds acupuncture shows promise as therapy for glaucoma

Acupuncture may help slow vision loss in people with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG), according to the first long-term randomised controlled trial to demonstrate structural and functional benefits from the complementary therapy.

Published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine in June 2026, the 24-week study found that weekly acupuncture slowed the progression of visual field loss, improved visual acuity, preserved retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness and reduced intraocular pressure (IOP) compared with a sham treatment.

The researchers said findings suggest acupuncture could offer a neuroprotective effect when used alongside conventional glaucoma management, although larger multicentre studies are needed before it can be recommended routinely.

The trial enrolled 40 patients with NTG, randomising 20 to once weekly acupuncture for 24 weeks and 20 to sham acupuncture using Vaccaria seeds placed at the same locations. Treatment targeted two traditional acupuncture points near the eye, Jingming (BL1) and Qiuhou (EX-HN7).

The researchers from China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan said that by the end of the study, patients receiving true acupuncture experienced significant improvements in best-corrected visual acuity in both eyes, while no comparable improvement was seen in the sham group.

Optical coherence tomography also showed preservation of RNFL thickness in the acupuncture group. Because RNFL thinning reflects loss of retinal ganglion cell axons, maintaining this layer is considered an important marker of slowing glaucoma progression, the researchers said.

Although standard visual field measurements did not improve significantly over the 24-week period, a more detailed analysis of the rate of change revealed that visual field deterioration progressed significantly more slowly in patients receiving acupuncture than in those receiving sham treatment.

The acupuncture group also recorded modest but statistically significant reductions in IOP, despite participants having normal baseline pressure levels. No treatment-related adverse events were reported.

The researchers said quality-of-life scores and serum homocysteine levels did not change significantly, suggesting observed benefits were primarily reflected in objective clinical measures rather than patient-reported outcomes during the study period.

The authors believe several mechanisms could explain the findings, including improved ocular blood flow, modulation of retinal nerve function and neuroprotective effects that extend beyond pressure reduction. Previous experimental and short-term clinical studies have suggested acupuncture may influence optic nerve health, but evidence from longer-term controlled trials has been lacking.

“This is the first clinical trial to demonstrate that long-term acupuncture may effectively preserve both structural and functional visual parameters in patients with NTG, suggesting a potential neuroprotective effect of acupuncture and supporting its role as a promising adjunctive therapy,” they wrote.

“Further validation is warranted with larger, double-blind, multicentre trials.”

This article has been republished courtesy of Insight.