View clinical trials related to Retinitis Pigmentosa.
Filter by:Using local immune suppression, the trial seeks evidence for the hypothesis that autoimmunity plays a role in the pathomechanism of retinitis pigmentosa.
Investigate whether blind subjects that fulfil the patient criteria provided with a Retinal Implant are able to differentiate between simple patterns like horizontal bar, vertical bar and cross.
Investigational Phase of the Study: The objective of this feasibility study is to evaluate the safety and utility of the Argus II Retinal Stimulation System in providing visual function to blind subjects with retinitis pigmentosa. Post-Approval Phase of the Study: To collect post-approval data in order to monitor the ongoing safety and reliability of the Argus II System
The National Ophthalmic Disease Genotyping and Phenotyping Network (eyeGENE(R)) is a genomic medicine initiative created by the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in partnership with clinics and laboratories across the vision research community. The core mission of eyeGENE(R) is to facilitate research into the causes and mechanisms of rare inherited eye diseases and accelerate pathways to treatments. This study collects DNA samples from patients with inherited eye diseases to facilitate research to identify genetic factors responsible for these conditions. Nearly 500 genes that contribute to inherited eye diseases have been identified. As a result, gene-based therapies are being pursued to treat eye genetic diseases that were once considered untreatable. Physicians in collaborating institutions will recruit patients to participate in the study. Patients will provide a blood sample and undergo a standard eye examination. The blood sample and clinical information will then be sent to the NEI for testing, processing and storing in the biorepository. Patients are given the option to receive results back and/or to be re-contacted in the event of future clinical studies. Information supplied to the testing laboratories includes a unique identification number, the patient gender, and the patient date of birth. The stored samples are available to researchers along with information about the patient's disease, but without patient identifiers.
The purpose of this trial is to determine whether lutein in addition to vitamin A will slow the course of retinitis pigmentosa.
The long-term goal is to show that retinal transplantation can help to prevent blindness and to restore eyesight in patients with the inherited disease retinitis pigmentosa.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the retinal stimulation system by evaluating the data after chronic implantation.
The purpose of this study is to determine whether the structure and function of the human retina can be studied with high resolution in patients with inherited retinal degenerations using the Adaptive Optics Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (AOSLO).
This multinational study will investigate the inheritance of genetic retinal degeneration in families of different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds in order to identify the genes that, when altered, cause retinal degeneration. The retina is a light-sensitive membrane lining the back part of the eye. It relays vision signals to the brain, which the brain interprets into sight. When the retina degenerates, vision is altered and possibly lost. The findings of this study should help improve diagnosis and methods of treatment for these disorders. Participating institutions include: the National Institutes for Health in Bethesda, Maryland; the University of Miami in Florida; the Casey Eye Institute in Portland, Oregon; the Byrd Health Sciences Center in Morgantown, West Virginia; the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas; the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis; the Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India; National Center of Excellence in Molecular Biology in Lahore, Pakistan; and the Jules Gonin Hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland. Patients with retinitis pigmentosa and closely related diseases such as Usher syndrome, snowflake vitreoretinal dystrophy and Bietti crystalline dystrophy may be eligible for this study. Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: - Medical and surgical history, including family history of vision problems. - Examination to clarify the type of retinal degeneration. - Eye examination, including tests of color vision, field of vision and ability to see in the dark - Electroretinogram to test the function of visual cells. For this test, the patient sits in a dark room for 30 minutes with his or her eyes patched. Then, a small electrode (silver disk) is taped to the forehead and the eye patches are removed. The surface the eyes is numbed with eye drops, and contact lenses are placed on the eyes. The patient looks inside a large dark globe that emits a series of light flashes. Then a light is turned on inside the globe and more lights flash. The contact lenses sense small electrical signals generated by the retina when the light flashes. - Hearing tests for patients with a personal or family history of deafness. Tests include an audiogram, ear examination and test of middle ear function. For middle ear function testing, the patient feels a little air pressure change for a moment and hears some tones. Another test requires the patient to sit quietly with electrodes on the head, forehead and earlobes. - Balance testing, including walking in a straight line, standing with eyes closed in the dark and other tests of coordination, and caloric testing. For the caloric testing, any ear wax in the ear canal is removed before the test begins. Then, electrodes are placed on the skin near the eyes and on the forehead. A small amount of cool (sometimes cold) or warm water is instilled into each ear canal, first one and then the other. - Blood sample collection for genetic testing.
This study will explore clinical and genetic aspects of Usher syndrome, an inherited disease causing deafness or impaired hearing, visual problems, and, in some cases, unsteadiness or balance problems. Patients with type 1 Usher syndrome usually are deaf from birth and have speech and balance problems. Patients with type 2 disease generally are hearing impaired but have no balance problems. Patients with type 3 disease have progressive hearing loss and balance problems. All patients develop retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that causes poor night vision and eventually, blindness. Patients of any age with Usher syndrome may be eligible for this study. Patients who have had eye and hearing evaluations are asked to send their medical records to the research team at the National Eye Institute (NEI) for review. They are also asked to have a blood sample drawn by a medical professional and sent to NEI for genetic analysis. Finally, they are interviewed about their family histories, particularly about other relative with eye disease. Patients who have not been evaluated previously have the following tests and procedures at NIH: - Family medical history, especially regarding eye disease. A family tree is drawn. - Blood draw for genetic studies of Usher syndrome. - Eye examination to assess visual acuity and eye pressure, and to examine pupils, lens, retina, and eye movements. - Electroretinogram (ERG) to test the function of visual cells. Wearing eye patches, the patient sits in a dark room for 30 minutes. Electrodes are taped to the forehead and the eye patches are removed. The surface of the eye is numbed with eye drops and contact lenses are placed on the eyes. The patient looks inside a hollow, dark globe and sees a series of light flashes. Then a light is turned on inside the globe and more flashes appear. The contact lenses sense small electrical signals generated by the retina when the light flashes. - 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 possible blood vessel abnormality. - Hearing tests to help determine the patient's type of Usher syndrome. Tests to evaluate hearing include examination of both ears with an otoscope, evaluation of the middle ear and inner ear, and hearing tests using earphones that deliver tones and words the subject listens and responds to. - Vestibular testing for balance function. Balance testing involves three procedures: Videonystagmography: This test records eye movements with little cameras. First the patient follows the movements of some small lights. Next, while wearing goggles, the patient lies on an exam table and turns to the right and left. Lastly, a soft stream of air is blown into the patient's ears four times, once in each ear with cool air and once in each ear with warm air. Rotary chair test: With electrodes placed on the forehead, the patient sits in a rotary chair in a dark room. Several red lights appear on the wall of the room and the patient follows the lights as they move back and forth. Then the chair turns at several speeds, all slower than a merry-go-round. Vestibular evoked potential: Electrodes are placed behind the patient's ear and at the base of the neck. Seated in a reclining chair and wearing earphones, the patient hears a brief series of loud clicking sounds. When the sounds are on, the patient is asked to lift his or her head up a few inches from the chair. The electrodes record information from the muscles in the neck as the sounds enter the ear.