View clinical trials related to Keratoconus.
Filter by:Epithelium-On Corneal Crosslinking for Keratoconus.
The purpose of this study is to create a database of keratoconic eyes with two or more corneal topographies/tomographies, at least 5 months apart
The purpose of this study is to determine whether corneal stroma implantation is effective in the treatment of keratoconus.
The purpose of this research study is to find out if the new Brillouin Ocular Scanner can measure the variation (difference) of the corneal elastic changes involved in the onset of corneal ectasia, induced by LASIK surgery and cornea collagen crosslinking (CXL) treatment. Ectasia refers to the thinning and bulging of the cornea and results in severe vision degradation (loss), which may occur because of a progressive disease (keratoconus) or because of LASIK surgery. It is believed that the structural weakening of the cornea plays a major role in developing ectasia. CXL is a treatment that is able to halt the progression of ectasia. The Brillouin Ocular Scanner is a technique based on the principles used in the laser speed measuring of a car (radar gun). When laser light illuminates a moving sample, a portion of the light slightly changes color. In our body, e.g in eye and corneal tissue, very weak sound waves are naturally present and they can induce a similar color shift. Measuring this color shift with a sensitive light color meter (spectrometer), we will measure the sound speed in the tissue.
Following the Bunsen-Roscoe law, accelerated cross-linking protocols with higher irradiation intensities and shorter irradiation times have been introduced. In addition, new riboflavin solutions with HPMC (hydroxylpropyl methylcellulose) instead of dextran found its way into CXL-treatment. The aim of this trial is to evaluate clinical outcomes in an accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking protocol with different riboflavin solutions.
The OCT used in this trial offers the advantage of both a non-contact method and a very high axial resolution. Determined parameters with the highest potential of diagnostic discrimination between eyes with Keratoconus and healthy eyes are investigated. Aim of this trial is to investigate differences of specific parameters of epithelium thickness maps at healthy eyes and eyes with Keratoconus.
To determine whether the implantation of an intrastromal corneal ring is an effective treatment for a homogeneous group of mild keratoconus patients.
Keratoconus is a ocular disease classified under ectatic diseases which often results in bilateral and asymmetrical corneal distortion. It usually affects patients at young age and can cause severe visual loss. The overall goal of this study is to assess the prevalence of keratoconus (KC) in children and adolescents in various regions of the world based on modern tomographic imaging methods, and to verify whether the occurrence rates reported from literature should be corrected. Our hypothesis is that the prevalence of the disease is much higher than that traditionally reported. At each site, corneal tomography examinations (Pentacam) will be performed bilaterally in children and adolescents, who are not ill or with any ophthalmological symptom. The population to be studied will be composed of children and adolescents on medical visits for non-ophthalmologic reasons, aged between 6 and 20 years. Multiple cities, from different continents (North America, South America, Asia and Europe) will participate.
Corneal ectasia is characterized by irregularity and thinning of the cornea, causing the cornea to bulge forward and cause distorted vision and impaired visual acuity. Corneal ectasia is a complication after refractive (LASIK) surgery. It is also the primary problem in keratoconus, a gradually progressive inherited condition that typically is manifested in young adulthood, more commonly in women. Treatment approaches to stabilize the cornea's shape include rigid contact lenses, surgical implantation of stiff plastic intrastromal corneal ring segments, a collagen cross-linking procedure and, in severe cases, cornea transplantation. The collagen cross-linking procedure involves topical application of a concentrated riboflavin (vitamin B2) solution after the corneal epithelium is scraped, followed by ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. UV light stimulates riboflavin to form new bonds (cross links) between the cornea's connective tissue, giving the cornea additional strength to maintain its shape and prevent the need for transplantation. The cost of one treatment using this system is $2,500 to $3,500. A small prospective study including 7 patients with keratoconus was started on a trial of oral riboflavin and 15 minutes of natural sunlight exposure daily. These patients reported no adverse effects and preliminary results showed corneal stabilization and/or corneal flattening in all 7 patients It is hypothesized that dietary riboflavin and natural sunlight is as effective in corneal crosslinking as the currently FDA approved Avedro therapy. If the clinical study confirms the investigators' early observations of the benefits of this approach, coupled with animal studies that document corneal cross-linking, the investigators will have data to pursue funding for larger clinical and animal studies. This has the potential to save millions of dollars in health care costs and ease the burden of treatment in patients who require therapy to induce corneal cross-linking to stabilize the cornea's shape.
The purpose of this study is to investigate changes in corneal innervation during scleral contact lens wear in a keratoconic population. Specifically, changes in corneal sensitivity and nerve fiber density from baseline in the central and mid-peripheral corneal locations will be measured over a 6-month lens wear period. An additional aim of the study is to investigate the impact of scleral lens wear on corneal inflammation within the same study group. This will be achieved by comparing dendritic cell density change from baseline over the study period.