Eli Lilly drug Prozac ‘could treat lazy eye’

The success of Eli Lilly’s depression drug Prozac in correcting the eyesight of rats could point the way to correcting amblyopia, or lazy eye, in human adults, researchers suggests.

Researchers from Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa also said its research into rats whose eyesight had been impaired during development could show how Prozac works to alleviate depression.

They said the Eli Lilly drug, also known as fluoxetine, appeared to return neurons to a more flexible state that allowed the visual perception system to develop proper connections.

This “brain plasticity” could also be how the drug improves patient depression, they stated with their findings, which were published in the journal Science.

Prozac was first introduced by Eli Lilly in 1987 and is known as a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). Following the end of its patent it is also available generically.

Lead scientist Dr Jose Fernando Maya and his colleagues wrote: “Our results suggest a potential clinical application for fluoxetine in amblyopia.”

As well as a tablet, Prozac is also available as a liquid.