How Does Microcurrent Therapy Work?

The use of microcurrent therapy increases the blood circulation by increasing the cellular level of energy, enhancing protein synthesis, (building normal cell structure), and stimulating the cells’ ability to absorb nutrients. This increase in cellular metabolism may reduce scar tissue in the eye microscopically. Increasing the blood circulation also increases 02 (Oxygen) circulation to an area which is oxygen deprived such as the macular. The more hydrated the patient is prior to treatment, the better the therapy works. Humans need to consume one-half their body weight in ounces of water daily to hydrate sufficiently.

Microcurrent Stimulation (MCS) therapy is a non-invasive procedure which involves stimulating the retina and nerve fibers with a very low intensity electrical current using an FDA or CE Mark (approved in Europe) electrical stimulation device as off-label. The current is delivered in the microamp range at different electrical frequencies through electrodes applied over closed eyelids.

A Tens unit should never be applied to the eye due to possibility of ocular damage. It would certainly cause great harm.

Some microcurrent stimulators do not have the proper frequencies and therefore cannot penetrate the deeper issues. The treatment may cause tingling of the skin, but the power intensity should be increased only to the point that light stimulation is perceived. While MCS appears as an effective form of treatment, it is not a cure for any retinal diseases, and must be continued for the life of the patient. Overall, no side effects or adverse reactions related to this procedure have been observed by previous eye doctors.

The pacemaker is a formidable precedent for microcurrent stimulation in the field of cardiology. When “the pacemaker” was first developed it was understood that there were electric and chemical interactions through the nervous system, and that electric current could manipulate these interactions. The heart’s physiology compared to that of the eye is a much more primitive organ. It is a pump with an electric circuit linking four chambers. The circuit tells each chamber simultaneously, when and how much contraction or relaxation  is necessary to ensure proper blood flow. The eye reacts no differently with microcurrent stimulation when blood flow is impaired as does the heart.