View clinical trials related to Macular Degeneration.
Filter by:To assess effectiveness of Macugen for treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration by measuring the evolution of visual acuity. Treatment duration, frequency of administration and combination with other treatments will also be evaluated.
Age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness, is caused by an abnormal growth of the vessels beneath the retina. Ranibizumab (Lucentis) is a new drug that inhibits the growth of new vessels and has recently been approved by FDA for treating this condition. This study is carried out to evaluate the changes in retinal function after an injection of ranibizumab.
The purpose of this study is to determine the way and rate that the study medication, JSM6427 a potent, highly specific integrin α5β1-antagonist is absorbed, broken-down and eliminated from the body when it is given as a single dosage strength by injection into the eye. Repeated dosages will also be given to determine the highest safe dose.
Evaluation of Dosing Interval of Higher Doses of Ranibizumab for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
The first results of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) therapy were very promising and superior to established therapies. Three different substances (all of them applied intravitreally) are available, but comparative studies have not yet been conducted. In this pilot study, the safety (number of adverse events) and efficacy (distance acuity testing retinal thickness measurement) of Avastin and Macugen applied as monotherapy will be compared to a combined treatment of Avastin followed by Macugen used for retreatment. At least equal results of the combined therapy are expected.
The Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a non-contact, non invasive method to examine the retina by providing cross-sectional scans through the retina. Measurements of the retinal thickness based on automatically set border lines created by threshold algorithm provide information concerning the amount of intraretinal fluid and activity of the lesion. In this study the reproducibility of retinal thickness measurements in patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration performed by two independent examiners of two examinations of the same day but performed in a time interval of at least two hours should be evaluated. Using the macular thickness program of stratus OCT, 6 radial lines through the center of the foveal avascular zone are performed, Differences between the first and second measurement will be investigated by a 95% confidence interval, a Bland-Altman plot (with corresponding regression analysis) and a random effect model with time, examiner and diagnosis as fixed factors. Although threshold algorithm failures and fixation problems are common in age-related macular degeneration evidence of reproducibility and repeatability of maximum retinal thickness is expected.
Choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration is one of the major causes of blindness in the western world. It is already known that the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a major role in the development of CNV. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), subretinal surgery, and intravitreal injection of VEGF- inhibitors are the common treatments. These methods are either very invasive or need to be repeated several times over long periods of time in order show some effect. Furthermore PDT can only be performed in eyes with pigment epithelium detachments (PED) of maximum 50% of the avascular zone, while intravitreal injections can lead to endophthalmitis and acute glaucoma. A systemic treatment, which would only need to be administered 3 times within 6 weeks would be a major effort in macular degeneration therapy.
Age-related macula degeneration (AMD, encompassing both dry and wet form), the late stage of Age-related maculopathy (ARM), is the leading cause of blindness in many developed countries in older persons (usually over 60 years of age). Visual compromise rises exponentially after the age of 70 with a 5-year incidence of around 1%. Studies have shown a possible protective effect of lutein on progression of AMD, where visual acuity improves after increased lutein intake. The incidence of bilateral AMD in persons with unilateral late ARM observed over a period of 10 years is over 50% with a 2.1-2.8% overall incidence in the study population. Blue light hazard (excitation peak 440 nm) was shown to have a major impact on photoreceptor and RPE function inducing photochemical damage and cellular apoptosis, leading to retinal degeneration in an animal study. The current belief is that lutein accumulated in the macular region helps in the prevention of blindness by absorbing blue light and protecting the retina from oxidative stress. With the lipid matrix of the egg yolk being a proven vehicle for the efficient absorption of dietary lutein, it might be possible to increase plasma levels of lutein to therapeutic levels and control or prevent AMD. This, the investigators hope, will be accomplished by means of filtering out harmful blue light and the scavenging of free radicals by lutein and zeaxanthin.
Single agent anti-VEGF therapies such as ranibizumab have shown great promise and have set the standard for visual outcomes in treating wet macular degeneration. However, they need to be administered frequently by intraocular injections with the attendant risk of endophthalmitis, lens damage, retinal detachment, and vitreous hemorrhage. The purpose of this trial is to see if using photodynamic therapy in combination with ranibizumab will decrease the number of treatments with ranibizumab.
Rollover study for subjects in prior VEGF Trap-Eye Phase I and II studies. Primary objective is to assess long-term safety and tolerability of continuing intravitreal treatment in subjects with wet age-related macular degeneration.