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Updated: May 19, 2026

Intravitreal Injections in the Ovine Eye

Intravitreal Injections in the Ovine Eye

Published on: July 5, 2022

Ivermectin for onchocercal eye disease (river blindness).

Henry O D Ejere¹, Ellen Schwartz, Richard Wormald

¹Hode Internal Medicine, Texas, USA. hodejere2000@yahoo.com.

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

|August 17, 2012

Summary

Ivermectin treatment for onchocerciasis (river blindness) reduces eye microfilariae and opacities. Evidence suggests it may prevent visual field loss in some populations, but more research is needed on preventing blindness.

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Ocular Therapeutic Delivery and Advanced Tissue Retrieval in Adult Rats

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Published on: May 23, 2025

Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Infectious Diseases
Tropical Medicine

Background:

Onchocerciasis, a parasitic infection, is a leading cause of preventable blindness.
Ivermectin is a microfilaricide used to treat onchocerciasis, but its impact on ocular lesions and visual loss is not fully understood.
Community-wide ivermectin distribution aims to control onchocerciasis, yet its effectiveness in preventing eye disease progression requires clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin in preventing visual impairment and visual field loss in patients with onchocercal eye disease.
To assess the impact of ivermectin on ocular lesions associated with onchocerciasis.

Main Methods:

Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with at least one year of follow-up.
Searched multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, mRCT, ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO ICTRP.
Included trials comparing ivermectin with placebo or no treatment in individuals from onchocerciasis-endemic communities.

Main Results:

Four trials were included: two small individual RCTs and two large community-based studies.
Ivermectin treatment reduced ocular microfilariae and punctate opacities.
Evidence suggests ivermectin may reduce chorioretinitis and, in specific settings (savannah strain), optic nerve disease and visual field loss.
Studies were underpowered to definitively assess effects on visual impairment, sclerosing keratitis, iridocyclitis, or optic nerve disease.

Conclusions:

While ivermectin reduces microfilarial load and some ocular lesions, definitive evidence for preventing visual impairment and blindness is lacking.
Mass ivermectin treatment shows promise in preventing visual field loss and optic nerve disease in communities with the savannah strain of O. volvulus.
Further research is needed to clarify ivermectin's role in preventing visual loss across diverse onchocerciasis endemicities and parasite strains.