Active clinical trials for "Eye Diseases"

The aim of this study is to assess if treatment with Lacrimera® eye drops (Croma-Pharma GbmH, Leobendorf, Austria) during and/ or after cataract surgery has a positive effect on the ocular surface compared to control group.

Video display terminals (VDTs) are ubiquitous, and engagement in digital screens has grown substantially across all age groups worldwide. Prolonged exposure to VDTs is associated with the development of various health problems. By now, it is unclear whether transient exposure to VDTs leads to ocular surface changes, especially regarding lipid layer thickness (LLT). This study aim to determine if short-term exposure to light-emitting diodes (LEDs) leads to ocular parameter changes. This is a prospective, cross-sectional study. Patients were recruited at the National Cheng-Kung University Hospital, a tertiary referral center in southern Taiwan, for examination, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), lipid layer thickness (LLT), and blink rates and patterns before and after watching an LED display for 15 minutes. The estimated result is that the LLT and blink rates will decrease after VDT watching.

Diurnal and intervisit fluctuations in IOP are strongly associated with progression of open angle glaucoma and therefore need to be minimized. Control of diurnal fluctuations of IOP with different ocular hypotensive medications has been studied in some detail. But how do IOP changes contribute to progressive glaucomatous optic nerve damage? It is reasonable to assume that there are two principal effects of IOP changes. First, IOP fluctuations result in changes in the stresses and strains on the ONH which in turn result in morphological changes to the ONH. These morphological changes could in turn result in stretching and damage to axons of the ONH. Secondly, IOP fluctuations results in changes to the forces acting on the ONH vasculature, leading to changes in ONH vascular perfusion. These changes to perfusion could in turn result in relative ischemia of the ONH and consequent ONH damage. The investigators propose to monitor diurnal fluctuations in IOP and choroidal blood flow (Pulsatile Ocular Blood Flow,POBF), and intervisit ONH topographical and blood flow changes-ie to monitor the direct ONH consequences of IOP . Open angle glaucoma patients are commonly prescribed topical latanoprost as first line therapy. The EXACCT study, for which I was the principal investigator and which is now submitted for publication, demonstrated that COSOPT was an efficacious choice as second line therapy for patients not controlled on latanoprost monotherapy. The investigators will therefore recruit 20 OAG patients on latanoprost monotherapy, perform diurnal curves of IOP, as well as a.m. ONH morphology and ONH blood flow. Cosopt will then be added and at the next visit the same measurements will be repeated. The investigators expect that when Cosopt is added the investigators will demonstrate improved IOP, morphology and blood flow compared to the latanoprost baseline. Furthermore the investigators expect the the diurnal fluctuation of IOP and choroidal blood flow will be stabilized on Cosopt therapy. The implications are that adding Cosopt to latanoprost can stabilize not only the IOP but also the damaging consequences of IOP to the optic nerve head.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the addition of a new artificial tear product when applied to the tear layer affects contrast sensitivity and optical aberrations over time. We will also determine if there are any adverse effects associated with drop instillation.

Peribulbar anaesthesia for ocular surgery depends on the spread of local anaesthetic throught the orbit to be successful and has a relatively high failure rate. This study will examine a novel ultrasound guided approach to peribulbar anaesthesia which should extend the depostion of local anaesthetic by using a dual quadrant injection technique. The study will assess the feasibility of this technique, how successful it is and whether any obvious safety issues arise with its use.

The purpose of this study is to compare the effect of two antihypertensive drugs on retinal vessel diameter in young type 1 diabetics. The retinal vessel analyzer (RVA) was used to investigate how the drugs affected vessel diameter, when the subjects were exposed to an increase in blood pressure, induced by isometric muscle contraction and when they were stimulated by flickering light.

This study offers evaluation and treatment for patients with pediatric eye diseases, particularly amblyopia and strabismus. The protocol is not designed to test new treatments; rather, patients will receive current standard of care treatments. The purpose of the study is twofold: 1) to allow National Eye Institute physicians to increase their knowledge of inflammatory eye conditions and identify possible new avenues of research in this area; and 2) to establish a pool of patients who may be eligible for new studies as they are developed. (Participants in this protocol will not be required to join a new study; the decision will be voluntary.) Patients age 6 months and older with pediatric eye diseases, including amblyopia, strabismus, cataracts, glaucoma, and developmental abnormalities may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, eye examination, and diagnostic procedures that may include routine laboratory testing, X-rays, questionnaires, physical examination, and other standard or specialized tests or procedures as needed. The eye examination includes measurements of eye pressure and visual acuity (ability to see the vision chart), examination of the pupils and eye movements, and dilation of the pupils to examine the lens and retina. In addition, patients will undergo a procedure to record eye movements called oculography, in which special detectors measure infrared light reflected off the patient's eyes while he or she watches lights on a computer screen. Participants will be followed for at least 3 years. Visits will be scheduled from 1 to 6 times a year, according to the standard of care for the individual patient's eye problem. Vision will be checked at each visit, and some of the screening tests described above may be repeated to follow the progress of disease and evaluate the response to treatment.

Non-infectious inflammatory eye disease, such as uveitis and scleritis, is a chronic, auto-immune process that leads to vision loss. While steroids are effective in the short term, the side-effect profile of chronic steroid use necessitates the identification of effective steroid-sparing therapies. Tofacitinib is a small molecule that inhibits the signaling pathways of multiple inflammatory cytokines. The investigators plan to evaluate whether tofacitinib may have efficacy for patients with uveitis and / or scleritis.

This trial is a randomized, parallel-group, double-blind, controlled clinical trial to evaluate the effect of hyaluronic acid (HA) on dry eye disease.

The modern treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction(MGD) is based on anti-inflammatory drops or oral antibiotics for decreasing dry eye disease (DED) associated inflammation, warm compresses for liquefying the thicker meibum, and lid hygiene for reducing the bacterial overload. But, such treatments have shown limited effectiveness to a large proportion of patients with MGD, due to the multifactorial background of the disease. Thus, alternative approaches aiming at different aspects of the DED pathophysiology are needed. Elimination of posterior lid-margin hyperemia with telangiectasia could be a treatment target for reducing the secretion of inflammatory mediators in the course of MGD. Using the mechanism of photocoagulation via selective thermolysis, laser light could contribute to the destruction of abnormal vessels at the posterior lid-margin and thus, the reduction of inflammation. Recently, sub-threshold (micropulse) laser photocoagulation was introduced in ophthalmology and offers significant clinical advantages compared to conventional continuous wave (CW) approach, preventing laser induced thermal damage and related treatment side effects. This study investigates the effect of sub-threshold (micropulse) laser treatment for dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction combined with increased eyelid margin vascularity.