Active clinical trials for "Retinitis Pigmentosa"

The objectives of this study are to evaluate the efficacy of Valproic Acid (VPA) to both slow the progression of visual function loss and/or to restore visual function in patients with Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and to collect safety and tolerability information.

Patients who are legally blind, caused by retinal degeneration of photoreceptor rods & cones (e.g. Retinitis pigmentosa), receive a subretinal implant to restore vision partially.

Patients suffering from hereditary retinal degeneration receive a retinal implant to restore sight. Subretinal implant "ON" results in significant visual acuity improvement, when compared to "OFF" condition.

This study will evaluate the safety of a ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) implant placed in the eye to allow the release of CNTF directly on the retina. The results of this study may lead to a larger investigation of CNTF implants to treat retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a progressive degenerative eye disease that begins with loss of peripheral vision and night blindness and often leads to blindness in later life. Currently, there are no effective treatments for RP. Researchers have found, however, that certain proteins, called ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), can partially protect cells in the eye if given directly inside the eye. A major challenge in treating RP is to deliver medicine directly into the eye. One way to ensure that CNTF gets into the eye is to surgically place an implant inside the eye to release the protein. Patients 18 years of age and older with retinitis pigmentosa whose visual acuity is 20/100 or worse may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, physical examination, eye examinations, and eye photographs. The eye examination includes measurement of visual acuity and eye pressure, examination of the pupils and eye movements, and examination of the lens and back of the eye. In addition, patients will have the following tests: Visual field test: Patients look at a central spot on a white screen and tell the examiner whenever they see a small light appear at other places on the screen. Electroretinogram (ERG): Electrodes are taped to the patient's forehead. Special contact lenses are placed on the eyes, similar to normal contact lenses, after the eye has been numbed with drops. The contact lenses sense small electrical signals generated by the retina. The ERG measures the electrical activity of the retina when it is stimulated by light. For the ERG recording, the patient looks inside a large, hollow, dark sphere, and sees flashes of light, first in the dark, and then with a light turned on in the sphere. Optical coherence tomography: This test, done with the machine used to examine the eye, measures retinal thickness by producing cross-sectional pictures of the retina. Participants undergo surgery at the NIH Clinical Center in a 30-minute operation to place the implant in one eye. The surgery is done under local anesthetic. Before the procedure, patients are given a steroid injection along side the eye to minimize inflammation after surgery. Following the procedure, patients return for follow-up visits once a month for 6 months. At these visits, several of the exams described above are repeated to evaluate treatment effects and check for adverse side effects. After 6 months, the implant is surgically removed. Post-surgical care for both implant and explant surgeries include examinations the day and week after surgery to examine the wound, a high dose of steroid immediately after surgery, oral antibiotics for 7 days, and eye drops for 1 week to prevent infection and inflammation.

The purpose of this trial is to determine whether a nutritional supplement in addition to vitamin A will slow the course of retinitis pigmentosa.

Purpose One of the main reasons for apoptosis and dormant cell phases in degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is growth factor withdrawal in the cellular microenvironment. Growth factors and neurotrophins can significantly slow down retinal degeneration and cell death in animal models. One possible source of autologous growth factors is platelet-richplasma.The purpose of this study was to determine if subtenon injections of autologous platelet-rich plasma (aPRP) can have beneficial effects on visual function in RP patients by reactivating dormant photoreceptors.

The primary objective of the study is to assess the safety and tolerability of two dose regimens of recombinant human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) eye drops solution administered over 6 months versus a vehicle control in patients with typical retinitis pigmentosa. The secondary objective of this study is to attempt to show a dose response by assessing the potential efficacy of the rhNGF dose regimens for improving or slowing the deterioration of visual function outcomes at 3 and 6 months. During a 6 month follow-up period patients will be monitored to determine if there is evidence of a persistent biological effect after discontinuation of the study treatment.

Objectives: To study the immediate effect and the persistent effect of Lycium barbarum (LB) treatment on retinal functions, especially the cone function, and retinal structure in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) Design: Randomised controlled double-masked trial Setting: Primary Care clinical trial Participants: 120 RP subjects will be recruited from Ophthalmology department at The University of Hong Kong and the Retina Hong Kong. Interventions: Subjects will be randomly allocated to LB (treated with LB granules) or control (treated with placebo) groups for 1 year. After the 1st year, both groups will stop the treatment and all subjects will also have the same eye exam in 6-month period for the 2nd year. Main outcome measures: The primary outcome is the total sensitivity scores of 30-2 & 60-4 programmes of Humphrey Visual Field Analysis (HVFA). The secondary outcomes are the b-wave amplitudes of Full-field Electroretinogram (ffERG) responses, the amplitudes of direct component and induced component of Multifocal Electroretinogram (mfERG), and the ETDRS visual acuity.

The purpose of this study is: To evaluate the safety of up to 3 additional courses of oral QLT091001 administered once daily for 7 days in subjects treated previously with a single 7-day course of QLT091001 in Study RET IRD 01 To evaluate whether up to 3 additional courses of oral QLT091001 administered once daily for 7 days can maintain or improve visual function.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oral valproic acid to slow the progression of visual function and/or to improve the visual function in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Enrolled subjects in valproic acid group will be treated with oral valproic acid 500mg daily for 48 weeks. Visual function and safety will be assess before and after treatment (48 weeks) between valproic acid and control groups.