Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Recruiting

Administrative data

NCT number NCT02674425
Other study ID # UoL001185
Secondary ID
Status Recruiting
Phase N/A
First received January 27, 2016
Last updated October 24, 2016
Start date September 2016

Study information

Verified date October 2016
Source University of Liverpool
Contact Alessandro Giuliano, PhD
Email alessandro.giuliano@liverpool.ac.uk
Is FDA regulated No
Health authority United Kingdom: Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
Study type Observational

Clinical Trial Summary

Conventional dark-adaptometers are unsuitable as a mass screening tool due to their high cost, lack of easy portability, need of trained staff and a totally dark room to be operated, arbitrary testing procedures, associated time waste in clinic and patient burden to mention a few. Consequently, dark adaptometers are not routinely used as clinical tools for retinal diagnosis and monitoring despite the inherent benefits over other visual electrophysiology equipment such as the ERG system, whose cost and features may often be surplus to optometrists' requirements.

This trial will assess the dark-adaptometry testing performance of a novel light-emitting system by generating full dark-adaptation threshold functions in normal adult healthy volunteers.

The novel system has been proposed to overcome the issues associated with current instrumentation; it is semi-automatic and easy to use without the need of any skilled operator.

It is envisaged that this system could spread the practice of dark-adaptometry testing and its adoption by high-street optometrists. This will allow diagnosing a number of retinal pathologies more quickly and more reliably that, faced with an ageing population, represents a major asset to the Health Community and the NHS.

This trial will involve 20 healthy volunteers, distributed in equal number in 2 groups of 18-40 and 50-70 years old, respectively. Proven the good health and eye condition of the participants, one of their eyes will be randomly-allocated and undergo dark-adaptometry testing 3 times on separate days within 3 weeks.

Testing will clarify whether by using the novel system it is possible to reproduce state-of-the-art threshold measurements as good or better than those produced by commercially-available dark-adaptometers. Threshold measurements in the elderly will be compared with literature data adjusted to exclude aged crystalline lens and pupillary miosis contributions. Data variability and system usability will be also assessed.


Recruitment information / eligibility

Status Recruiting
Enrollment 20
Est. completion date
Est. primary completion date May 2017
Accepts healthy volunteers Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Gender Both
Age group 18 Years to 70 Years
Eligibility Inclusion Criteria:

- Refractive error: = ±5 dioptres spherical (myopia/hyperopia) equivalent; = 3 dioptres cylinder (astigmatism) equivalent.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Subjects not in age range and/or unable to fully understand the informed consent and/or unable to comply with study procedures.

- Self-reported history of depression, lack of sleep, psychiatric disorders, or neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

- Self-reported history of diabetes, stroke, or multiple sclerosis.

- Self-reported hypovitaminosis A, alcoholism, liver or intestinal disease, malabsorption, protein calorie malnutrition, or sickle cell anaemia.

- Use of psychoactive drugs (including lithium salts for mood stabilisation).

- Use of dietary intake of ascorbic acid, vitamin A, B, E or other antioxidant supplements in the last two weeks.

- Recurrent practice of activities that expose the retina to ultra-violet radiation such as sailing, fishing, sunbathing or tanning saloons.

Study Design

Observational Model: Case-Only


Related Conditions & MeSH terms

  • Photoreceptor Sensitivity Thresholds

Intervention

Device:
Dark Adaptometer


Locations

Country Name City State
United Kingdom University of Liverpool Liverpool Merseyside

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor Collaborator
University of Liverpool

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United Kingdom, 

Outcome

Type Measure Description Time frame Safety issue
Primary Rod-cone break measurement April 2016 - up to 3 weeks No
Primary Absolute threshold measurement April 2016 - up to 3 weeks No