Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Study the Normal Eye

March 3, 2008 updated by: National Eye Institute (NEI)

Refinement of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique for the Study of the Normal Eye, Particularly the Lens and Cataract

This study will assess the value of improved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to study the lens of the human eye. Knowledge of how cataracts develop and progress has been hampered by the lack of human tissue available for study; MRI may provide an effective means for learning more about this eye disease.

Normal volunteers between 18 and 70 years of age may be eligible for this study. Participants will undergo a medical history and complete eye examination, including vision assessment, eye pressure measurement, lens and retina examinations, and photography of the eye.

MRI scans will be scheduled for a second visit. For this procedure, the volunteer's pupils are dilated and he or she then lies on a stretcher that is moved into a cylinder containing a magnetic field. A device similar to a welder's helmet is placed on the head. Attached to the device are an imaging probe and a small blinking light. The probe receives radio signals from the eye that a computer converts into images. During imaging, the participant gazes at the blinking light; this helps keep the eyes from blinking and wandering. Scan times vary from 2 to 10 minutes; the total time for the study is less than an hour.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Studies of human diabetic cataract and age related cataract formation have been hampered by unavailability of human tissues especially in the early stages of the disease. Eye bank tissues are first used for cornea transplants so that by the time they become available for basic research studies, the lens is no longer suitable for biochemical nor histological studies. Cataracts usually only become available after extraction which is at the end stage of their development. However, appropriate surgical lens specimens are no longer available because cataracts are generally extracted by the destructive phakoemulsification technique. Therefore, noninvasive techniques are required in order to study the lens in vivo.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment

20

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Maryland
      • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
        • National Eye Institute (NEI)

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child
  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Must be between 18 and 70 years of age of either sex.

Must not have uveitis, glaucoma, or be at risk for an adverse reaction to dilation or have a history of allergic reaction to one of lthe dilating agents to be used.

Must not have any metallic prosthesis, cardiac pacemakers, neural pacemakers, surgical clips in the brain or on blood vessels, surgically implanted metal plates, screws or pins, cochlear implants or metal objects in the body especially in the eye.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2000

Study Completion

August 1, 2002

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 13, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 13, 2000

First Posted (Estimate)

June 14, 2000

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 4, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 3, 2008

Last Verified

August 1, 2002

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 000151
  • 00-EI-0151

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Cataract

3
Subscribe