Vision Preservation and Restoration Following a 6 Month Trial of GlaucoCetin

A Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of GlaucoCetin vs Placebo in Glaucoma Patients With Visual Field Loss.

This study is looking at changes in vision and visual function before and after a six month trial of a daily medical food called GlaucoCetin, formulated with ingredients to support and protect the optic nerve cells. Open angle glaucoma patients will be randomized to receive either a placebo or the medical food for 6 months. We hope to learn if this medical food can improve the vision of our glaucoma patients and to report the findings obtained to the general public.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Primary Open Angle Glaucoma
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: GlaucoCetin; Other: Placebo

Detailed Description

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the improvement in vision and visual function during a 6 month trial of GlaucoCetin versus placebo in patients with open angle glaucoma. The secondary objective is to evaluate change in quality of life, electrophysiologic response, and contrast sensitivity.

Procedures involved during participation include review of medical/ocular history, best corrected visual acuity, multiple Humphrey visual field testing 24-2 and 10-2 , Octopus G-Top, pattern electroretinogram (PERG), ocular coherence tomography (OCT), ocular coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), intraocular pressure (IOP), contrast sensitivity testing (CSV-1000), corneal hysteresis, biomicroscopy, fundus exam, disc photos, and serum testing.

To evaluate quality of life, included in testing is Compressed Assessment of Ability Related to Vision (CAARV). Responses to multiple surveys regarding vision related quality of life (GQL-15, Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS), National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ-25)) and diet (NHANES Dietary Screener) will be captured. Number of daily steps will be monitored at 2 intervals during the study using pedometers.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 12
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19107
      • Wills Eye Hospital, Glaucoma Research Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age of 40 to 80 years

• Bilateral open angle glaucoma with reliable visual field defects (at least one eye with mean deviation (MD) between -4.00 to -10.00 decibels (dB) on Humphrey Visual Field 24-2.

  • Group 1 (Peripheral): meets 1 hodapp-parrish-anderson (HPA) criteria for defect (3 contiguous points depressed on the pattern standard deviation (PSD) p <5%, one of which is depressed at p <1% level), and does not meet below paracentral criteria for Group 2.
  • Group 2 (Central): at least 1 paracentral point repeatedly depressed at p<1% on 24-2. Also meets the HAP criteria outlined above.
• Visual acuity 20/40 or better in each eye
• Intraocular Pressure (IOP) controlled at 2 measurements >3 months
• Clear media

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known bleeding disorder
• History of epilepsy or on anti-seizure medication
• Uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes
• Uncontrolled IOP
• Eye pathology leading to inaccurate IOP measurement
• Visually significant retinal pathology affecting vision in past or active (such as diabetic retinopathy or age related macular degeneration)
• Non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy
• Visually significant cataract (worse then 2+ cataract, or what is determined visually clinically significant by physician)
• History of ocular trauma
• Selective laser trabeculoplasty or laser procedure within past 3 months
• Cataract surgery within past 3 months
• Incisional glaucoma surgery within 6 months
• Current use of nitroglycerin
• Current use of antiplatelet therapy besides aspirin (such as clopidogrel) or anticoagulation (such as warfarin)
• Current use of systemic steroids or immunomodulating agents such as methotrexate.
• Sensitivity or allergy to any ingredients in GlaucoCetin: Curcumin, L-Taurine, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Niacinamide, Ginkgo Biloba, Lipoic Acid, Citicoline, Grape Seed Extract, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Coenzyme Q10, Biotin, Natural Astaxanthin, flavonoid complex containing Fisetin, Quercetin, and Luteolin
• Recent change in systemic medications or vitamins
• Use of Biotin, Ginkgo Biloba, Citicoline within past 3 months (or any other Glaucocetin ingredients within 1 month)
• Unreliable visual fields
• Unwilling to take supplement or placebo for 6 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: GlaucoCetin Peripheral Group; Primary Open Angle Glaucoma participants who meet inclusion exclusion criteria with peripheral visual field loss will be randomly assigned GlaucoCetin, a medical food in capsule form.	Dietary supplement: GlaucoCetin; GlaucoCetin, a medical food in capsule form, is FDA regulated and includes ingredients that have been shown to support and protect mitochondrial function of retinal ganglion cells. GlaucoCetin consists of a mixture of Curcumin, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Alpha-lipoic Acid, Citicoline, Grape Seed Extract, Green Tea Extract, and Coenzyme Q10. Additional ingredients include L-Taurine, Niacinamide, Biotin, Natural Astaxanthin, Fisetin, Quercetin, Luteolin, Proprietary Dragonberry Flavor Complex, Monk Fruit, Bitter Blocker Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Silica Dioxide, Fibersol-2, L-Leucine. Many of these are known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients. A 6 month supply of capsules, made for this study, will be provided at randomization with the following instructions: Take 6 capsules by mouth once daily with food.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Peripheral Group; Primary Open Angle Glaucoma participants who meet inclusion exclusion criteria with peripheral visual field loss will be randomly assigned a placebo, with no nutritional value, in capsule form.	Other: Placebo; The placebo is an identical capsule to the GlaucoCetin, made for this study, with no nutritional value. A 6 month supply of capsules will be provided at randomization with the following instructions: Take 6 capsules by mouth once daily with food.
Active Comparator: GlaucoCetin Central Group; Primary Open Angle Glaucoma participants who meet inclusion exclusion criteria with central visual field loss will be randomly assigned GlaucoCetin, a medical food in capsule form.	Dietary supplement: GlaucoCetin; GlaucoCetin, a medical food in capsule form, is FDA regulated and includes ingredients that have been shown to support and protect mitochondrial function of retinal ganglion cells. GlaucoCetin consists of a mixture of Curcumin, N-Acetyl Cysteine, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Alpha-lipoic Acid, Citicoline, Grape Seed Extract, Green Tea Extract, and Coenzyme Q10. Additional ingredients include L-Taurine, Niacinamide, Biotin, Natural Astaxanthin, Fisetin, Quercetin, Luteolin, Proprietary Dragonberry Flavor Complex, Monk Fruit, Bitter Blocker Natural Flavor, Citric Acid, Silica Dioxide, Fibersol-2, L-Leucine. Many of these are known anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients. A 6 month supply of capsules, made for this study, will be provided at randomization with the following instructions: Take 6 capsules by mouth once daily with food.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Central Group; Primary Open Angle Glaucoma participants who meet inclusion exclusion criteria with central visual field loss will be randomly assigned a placebo, with no nutritional value, in capsule form.	Other: Placebo; The placebo is an identical capsule to the GlaucoCetin, made for this study, with no nutritional value. A 6 month supply of capsules will be provided at randomization with the following instructions: Take 6 capsules by mouth once daily with food.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual Field Mean Deviation	Improvement in visual field mean deviation, measured in decibels, will be compared before, during and after a 6 month trial of daily GlaucoCetin vs Placebo capsules.	3 hour examinations during a 6 month period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Perceived Quality of Life Improvement	Improvement in participants perceived vision-related quality of life (GQL-15, Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS)	20 minute questionnaires during a 6 month period
Perceived Quality of Life Improvement measured by National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ-25)	Improvement in participants perceived vision-related quality of life ( National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ-25))	20 minute questionnaires during a 6 month period

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Wills Eye
• Collaborators: Guardian Health Sciences, Inc.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Natasha N Kolomeyer, MD, Wills Eye Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): October 27, 2022
• Study Completion (Actual): October 27, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 2, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): March 5, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): December 23, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 16, 2025
• Last Verified: December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Neuroprotection; primary open angle glaucoma; visual field loss; vision enhancement; GlaucoCetin
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Eye Diseases; Ocular Hypertension; Glaucoma; Glaucoma, Open-Angle
• Other Study ID Numbers: IRB #2020-145

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No