Ocular effects of methylphenidate in children and adolescents with ADHD

News
Article

A study on the effects of methylphenidate in children with ADHD found that treated children had lower corneal endothelial cell counts compared to untreated children and a control group.

Ophthalmologist illuminates eye of child with light from slit lamp to diagnose the eyes and cornea. Pediatric ophthalmologist with slit lamp examines eyes and cornea of child

(Image credit: ©Rabizo Anatolii/AdobeStock)

A study of the effects of methylphenidate in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found lower corneal endothelial cell counts in those diagnosed with ADHD and undergoing treatment with methylphenidate compared with untreated children and a control group. The authors also reported that the ganglion cell layer (GCL) measurements were lower in the untreated children who were diagnosed with ADHD compared with those receiving methylphenidate and the control group. 

First author Dilek Uzlu, MD, and colleagues from the Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey, reported their results in International Ophthalmology.

Methylphenidate isa central nervous system stimulant that is used to treat ADHD, a very common diagnosis in children in the US.

This study focused on elucidating the ocular effects of methylphenidate on children diagnosed with ADHD and healthy controls. The participants were divided as follows: those diagnosed with ADHD and undergoing methylphenidate therapy (group 1), newly diagnosed untreated patients (group 2), and healthy, controls (group 3). The researchers evaluated the morphology and numbers of corneal endothelial cells, corneal thickness, choroidal thickness (CT), retinal thickness (RT), GCL, and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) were evaluated.

Comparison of the 3 groups

Group 1 included 30 children (mean age, 10.53 ± 2.78years) with ADHD treated with methylphenidate for a minimum of 1 year; group 2 included 32 newly diagnosed untreated children (mean age, 9.21 ± 1.85 years);and group 3 included 35 healthy children (mean age, 11.03 ± 3.01 years).

While the groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) in age, visual acuity level, or refractions, the researchers found that the endothelial cell counts and hexagonality values differed significantly between groups 1 and 2 (P = 0.041 andP= 0.031, respectively).

Other observations were that the GCL values differed between groups 1 and 2 and between groups 2 and 3 (P = 0.0001 andP = 0.02, respectively), but not between groups 1 and 3 (P = 0.551), the researchers reported.

The other parameters evaluated, i.e., the central CT, central RT, and mean RNFL values did not differ significantly among the three groups (P > 0.05).

Uzlu and colleagues concluded, “Corneal endothelial counts were lower in the children diagnosed with ADHD and receiving methylphenidate therapy than in those not receiving treatment and the control group. In addition, GCL measurements were lower in the children diagnosed with ADHD and not using medication compared to those using methylphenidate and the control group.”

References:
1. Uzlu D, Bilginer SÇ, Yaşar Y, et al.An examination of the ocular effects of methylphenidate used in children and adolescents diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.Int Ophthalmol. 2025;45. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-025-03471-z
Recent Videos
WIO 2024: An educator's perspective on shattering glass ceilings in ophthalmology
Hannah Chiu, MD, FRCSC, highlights some of the early benefits of an AI-operated telephone call system for postoperative patient care at WIO 2024
Retinal Inner Layer Disorganization and OCT in Uveitic Macular Edema: Insights from Dr. Amitha Domalpally
ARVO 2024: Study Reveals Faricimab's Potential for Extended Dosing in nAMD
TENAYA, LUCERNE year 2 data reveals promising results for faricimab
How to diagnose geographic atrophy earlier
World Sight Day 2022: Eye care professionals share what global vision means to them
Samsara Vision update: Concerto trial recruiting patients with late-stage AMD
Understanding fluid dynamics in wet macular degeneration
YOSEMITE, RHINE treat-and-extend data show favorable results for faricimab for the treatment of DME
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.