Dynamic Light Scattering and Keratoscopy for Corneal Examination

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

A Pilot Study Using the Dynamic Light Scattering Device (DLS) Combined With Keratoscopy on the Cornea in Vivo

This pilot study will examine the usefulness of a new instrument called the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) device for documenting and monitoring changes in the cornea, the front part of the eye where contact lenses are placed. The DLS device uses a low-intensity laser similar to that used in supermarket checkouts to measure the cloudiness of the cornea. The results of this study may lead to further investigations using DLS to discover the cause of corneal clouding and to develop treatments to prevent it.

Healthy volunteers and patients with corneal clouding or opacification 18 years of age and older may be eligible for this study.

Participants will have a standard eye examination, including a check of visual acuity and eye pressure. The retina will also be examined and photographs of the cornea may be taken. For the DLS test, the subject sits in front of the device and looks at a yellow-green target while the cloudiness of the cornea is measured. Subjects will be tested four times. The entire procedure takes less than 30 minutes.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Corneal disease and injuries are the leading cause of visits to eye care clinics in the US today. These diseases are also some of the most painful eye disorders. Two important areas for research on the cornea are 1) to explore and understand the molecular basis of corneal transparency and 2) to analyze the molecular nature of corneal inflammation and wound healing. We have developed a new clinical device to understand molecular changes that occur in the lens, called Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) device. Studies have shown its potential in the detection of the earliest changes occurring in the cataract, and have also shown good test retest reproducibility of the system. We now would like to apply this technique to study changes that occur in corneal opacification. In this pilot project, we would like to study the normal cornea in young and older persons (volunteers) as well as cloudy, opaque corneas. This will allow us to determine if useful data can be obtained, and if so, lead to further studies in various corneal disorders caused by trauma, infections, and dystrophies, as well as those caused by systemic or inherited disorders.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment

24

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

INCLUSION CRITERIA:

Individuals greater than or equal to 18 years of age.

Controls:

Control subjects must have normal, clear corneas as determined by slit lamp biomicroscopy and central corneal thickness less than 0.55 mm centrally.

Patients:

Patients with corneal clouding and opacification.

EXCLUSION CRITERIA:

To be eligible, participants must not satisfy the criterion below:

Individuals who cannot cooperate or keep still for the DLS measurements.

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

December 1, 2002

Study Completion

September 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 9, 2002

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 9, 2002

First Posted (Estimate)

December 10, 2002

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

March 4, 2008

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 3, 2008

Last Verified

September 1, 2005

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 030012
  • 03-EI-0012

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.

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