Active clinical trials for "Macular Degeneration"

A study evaluating Retisert in patients with age-related macular degeneration

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an established non-invasive medical imaging technique ophthalmologists use to diagnose and monitor retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study assesses the scanning performance of a newly developed sparse OCT retina scanner that is smaller and more compact than most commercially available medical OCT systems. The prototype device was developed at Artorg Center Bern and Berner Fachhochschule Biel. In this study the device is first tested on human eyes. The scanning performance is compared to a reference device. Additionally patient feedback during the examination is acquired. The findings of this study are used to improve the software and the ergonomics of the investigational device.

Intravitreal injection of Ranibizumab (Lucentis, Genentech) is clinically indicated for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) An disadvantage of this technique is the anxiety and discomfort which patients often experience due to the idea of "getting a needle in the eye". In addition, a recent case study indicated the importance of patient education in achieving positive outcomes from intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents. The purpose of our study is to determine whether visual education on AMD and intravitreal injection can reduce patients' anxiety prior to the treatment, and lessen the impact of socioeconomical status on their understanding of the treatment and prognosis.

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the most cause of blindness in the industrialised countries. There are few epidemiological studies on the incidence of this disease. Studying the incidence of AMD in an elderly French population and identifying the predisposing factors is very important to allow a major advance in the epidemiological knowledge of AMD. This study will contribute to the identification of the clinical, genetic and modifiable parameters associated at the risk of developing AMD. This could result in means prevention as well as in the identification of subjects as high risk of AMD

A prospective randomized trial, to evaluate post-injection comfort measures comparing topical NSAID (nepafenac 0.3% suspension) and patching.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in developed countries among people over 50 years of age. Myopic maculopathy is also an important cause of irreversible vision loss. Reduced near visual acuity is still a major problem with all forms of AMD and myopic maculopathy. Various intraocular lenses for near vision (IOLs) or telescopic systems have been described but are not widely accepted and almost all solutions require phakic status of the eye and are implanted during cataract surgery. Therefore, these devices are not appropriated for pseudophakic AMD and myopic maculopathy patients. Scharioth Macula Lens (SML, Medicontur) is a magnifying intraocular lens for pseudophakic patients implanted in the ciliary sulcus in one eye of each patient. The implant has a bifocal optic, with a central 1.5mm diameter optical zone equivalent to +10D add and a peripheral zone optically neutral. The implantation of the add-on SML can improve the near visual acuity of pseudophakic patients with AMD and myopic maculopathy without impairing their distance visual acuity. The principal objective is to compare the near visual acuity, the far visual acuity and the self-reported vision health status before and after the SML implantation.

This LIGHTSITE III study is a double-masked, sham-controlled, parallel design, prospective multi-site study for the use of PBM as a treatment for visual impairment in subjects with dry AMD.

Maculopathy induced by retinal toxicity of synthetic antimalarials is to be screened at the sub-clinical stage. Indeed, when the first visual symptoms appear, macular damage is already irreversible and the clinical picture may even continue to deteriorate for several years after the end of synthetic antimalarial use. In opposition, the early termination of hydroxychloroquine in patients showing recent alterations on the multifocal electroretinogram (nfERG) allowed he reversibility of toxic damage over a six month period. It is therefore critical to detect early retinal anatomic changes during retinotoxicity screening before the occurrence of irreversible anatomical and functional consequences. The usual patient monitoring consists of an annual eye examination, detecting subjective functional abnormalities (visual acuity, color vision, central visual field testing) or macular lesions (eye fundus). These abnormalities show a constituted infringement and do not contribute to the early diagnosis of synthetic antimalarial maculopathy. The mfERG is an objective examination, able to detect retinal damage whilst still reversible. It is recommended during the annual monitoring and is, today, the gold standard for the screening and diagnosis of synthetic antimalarial maculopathy. However, its realization is time consuming, requires a good patient cooperation and is difficult to access due to the few ophthalmology centers offering it. In practice, it is rarely done as a systematic annual screening for patients on long-term synthetic antimalarial treatment. It is often limited to second-line studies (for patients already showing functional or anatomical abnormalities) whereas its interest lies in the detection of early lesions. The Optical Coherence Tomography Spectral Domain (OCT-SD) is a non-invasive eye examination, commonly used since nearly 10 years. A special image analysis provides a panoramic viewing of the state of the photoreceptor layer, and a non-invasive detection of any anatomical changes, even subtle, within this layer. The concordance between the "en face" OCT and the mfERG in the screening of synthetic antimalarial maculopathy is considered in this study.

In this prospective, open-label clinical study is to investigate the behavior of the retinal functions during development of diabetic macular disease (DME) under the influence of Lucentis. Measurements with the multifocal electroretinogram (ERG) and microperimetry is used here as an objective criteria to information about the retinal function obtain.

The objective of the study was to investigate the influence of a intervention with lutein und zeaxanthin from crucifers on the optical density of the macular pigment of patients with non exudative age-related maculopathy. It is hypothesized that the applied study beverage elevates plasma concentrations of the administered xanthophylls and the optical density after 4 weeks of intervention.