Active clinical trials for "Uveitis"

To compare the safety and effectiveness between ologen collagen matrix and mitomycin-C (MMC) in glaucoma surgery. The ologen collagen matrix implantation procedure is same as traditional trabeculectomy except implant the ologen collagen matrix on the top of sclera flap after one loose stich the sclera flap. The MMC application is as the standard.

The primary objective of this study is to examine the efficacy of infliximab for the treatment of persistent uveitis in children. Participants (4-18 years of age) will be randomly assigned to either 5mg/kg or 10mg/kg dose of infliximab to be administered by intravenous infusion at four week intervals. Participant responses will be measured at at four to eight week intervals for up to ten months.

This study will examine the safety and effectiveness of a monoclonal antibody called humanized anti-Tac (HAT, also called daclizumab) to treat children and adolescents with uveitis (chronic inflammatory eye disease) associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Monoclonal antibodies are genetically engineered proteins made in large quantities and directed against a specific target in the body. The HAT antibody is designed to prevent a specific chemical interaction needed for immune cells to produce inflammation. Current treatments for uveitis include steroids and immune-suppressing drugs. These treatments do not always work or they may cause significant side effects. This study will determine whether daclizumab can improve uveitis in children and reduce the need for other medicines. Patients between 6 and 18 years of age with active non-infectious JIA-associated uveitis requiring treatment with anti-inflammatory medications as often as three times a day or more may be eligible for this study. Each candidate is screened with a medical history, physical examination, blood tests, eye examination, and the following specialized tests: Fluorescein angiography to evaluate the eye's blood vessels. A yellow dye is injected into an arm vein and travels to the blood vessels in the eyes. Pictures of the retina are taken using a camera that flashes a blue light into the eye. The pictures show if any dye has leaked from the vessels into the retina, indicating the presence of inflammation. Optical coherence tomography to measure retinal thickness. The eyes are examined through a machine that produces cross-sectional pictures of the retina. These measures are repeated during the study to determine changes, if any, in retinal thickening. Stereoscopic color fundus photography to examine the back of the eye. The pupils are dilated with eye drops to examine and photograph the back of the eye. Upon entering the study, participants receive a 90-minute infusion of daclizumab through a catheter (plastic tube) placed in an arm vein. They return to the clinic after 14 days and again after 28 days for repeat eye examinations, blood tests, and daclizumab infusions. Four weeks after the third infusion, patients are examined for response to treatment. Those who have benefited from daclizumab may continue receiving monthly infusions of the drug for up to one year. A blood test and eye examination are done at the time of each infusion. Patients whose disease has remained active 12 weeks after the first infusion are taken off the study and treated with other medications.

This study will evaluate whether vitamin E can help treat swelling of the macular area of the retina (the back part of the eye) associated with uveitis (inflammatory eye disease). The macula is responsible for sharp vision; swelling in this area is one cause of vision loss in uveitis patients. Macular swelling is also associated with eye problems related to diabetes. In these patients, the swelling is thought to be caused by a substance called vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF. High doses of vitamin E have been used to treat these eye problems in diabetics. This study is a first step to find out if vitamin E will help reduce the retinal swelling in uveitis, which may also be caused by VEGF. Patients 9 years of age and older with macular edema associated with uveitis may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with the following tests and procedures: Medical history and physical examination. This includes measurement of vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature and breathing rate) and examination of the head and neck, heart, lungs, abdomen, arms and legs. Eye examination. This includes measurement of visual acuity using a vision chart, measurement of eye pressure and examination of the pupils and eye movements. The pupils will be dilated with drops to permit examination of the back of the eye. Fluorescein angiography. This test uses a yellow dye (fluorescein) to take photos of the retina. The fluorescein is injected into an arm vein and travels to the blood vessels in the eye. The camera flashes a blue light into the eye and takes pictures of the retina. The pictures show if the dye has leaked from the blood vessels into the retina. Stereoscopic color fundus photography. These are photographs of the back of the eye, taken after the pupils have been dilated with drops. Optical coherence tomography. This test measures the macular swelling. It is used to determine if the swelling is getting worse, better or staying the same. Blood tests. About a tablespoon of blood is drawn to measure inflammation and cell counts and side effects of treatment. Pregnancy test. All women of child-bearing potential are tested for pregnancy. Participants will be randomly assigned to daily treatment with oral high-dose vitamin E (1600 units) or placebo (a pill with no active ingredient) for 4 months. They will be examined at 2 months and 4 months with the same tests performed for screening and will return for a final clinic visit 1 month after treatment has ended.

Current treatment modalities for uveitis associated with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis have not been beneficial in the juvenile population. A new approach for treating patients with presumed autoimmune disorders is oral tolerance therapy. Chicken type II collagen (Colloral) is being developed as an oral tolerance therapy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. This open label pilot study will describe the safety of chicken type II collagen added to current anti-inflammatory medications as treatment for patients with uveitis associated with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The primary ophthalmic outcomes of this study will be a change from baseline in the number of anterior chamber cells and the number and dosage of anti-inflammatory medications. Secondary outcomes for JRA will include change in physician's global assessment, parent/patient assessment of overall well-being, functional assessment, number of joints with active arthritis, number of joints with limited range of motion, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Secondary outcomes for uveitis will include change in visual acuity, vitreous haze, and anterior chamber flare.

This study will investigate the safety and effectiveness of the drug Leflunomide to treat uveitis-an inflammation of the eye caused by an immune system abnormality. Leflunomide suppresses immune system activity and has been shown to control autoimmune diseases, such as arthritis (joint inflammation), in animals. It has also improved symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and the Food and Drug Administration has approved it for treating patients with this disease. Eye and joint inflammation may have similar causes, and medicines for arthritis often help patients with eye inflammation. This study will examine whether Leflunomide can help patients with uveitis. Patients with uveitis who are not responding well to steroid treatment and patients who have side effects from other medicines used to treat uveitis (such as cyclosporine, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate or azathioprine) or have refused treatment because of possible side effects of these medicines may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a medical history, physical examination, blood test and eye examination. The eye exam includes a check of vision and eye pressure, examination of the back of the eye (retina) with an ophthalmoscope and the front of the eye with a microscope. They will also undergo a procedure called fluorescein angiography to look at the blood vessels of the eye. A dye called sodium fluorescein is injected into the bloodstream through a vein. After the dye reaches the blood vessels of the eye, photographs are taken of the retina. Study participants will be divided into two groups. One group will take 100 milligrams of Leflunomide once a day for 3 days and then 20 milligrams once a day for 6 months. The other group will take a placebo-a pill that looks like the Leflunomide pill but does not contain the medicine. All patients in both groups will also take prednisone. Patients will have follow-up examinations at weeks 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 24 (6 months) of the study. Each follow-up visit will include a repeat of the screening exams and an evaluation of side effects or discomfort from the medicine. Those who do well and want to continue their assigned treatment after 6 months can continue that treatment for another 6 months and will have follow-up exams at months 9 and 12.

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of abatacept in the treatment of uveitis.

The objective of this study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of ocular instillations of interferon gamma-1b as a potential treatment for cystoid macular edema (CME) secondary to uveitis.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatments show great promise in the treatment of a variety of retinal diseases. This study addresses a condition which affects a large number of our patients in whom the investigators face difficult management decisions. These patients with uveitis are severely disabled with visual loss related to cystoid macular oedema (CMO) and few options remain when standard treatment has either failed or is contraindicated. The concentration of VEGF is increased in the eyes of patients with uveitis. Our hypothesis is that a series of injections of Ranibizumab may be an effective treatment for CMO. It is hoped that anti-VEGF therapy will have fewer side-effects than existing therapies and will be more effective in improving quality of life by reducing macular thickening and restoring visual function.

The purpose of this study is to determine the tolerability, safety, and benefits of an investigational drug,Fluocinolone Acetonide Intravitreal Insert (FA-i), in people who have posterior uveitis. The study drug, Fluocinolone Acetonide, is currently used in a surgical implant, Retisert, which is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat non-infectious posterior uveitis . The study drug is able to be inserted in an ophthalmology (eye) clinic; whereas Retisert must be surgically implanted in the Operating Room. Initially, this was a 2-dose randomized pilot study. However, the study was modified to include only the 0.2 ug/day implant.