- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT05531643
Pilot Study of TENS for Ocular Pain
September 8, 2023 updated by: VA Office of Research and Development
A Pilot Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Chronic Ocular Pain
Approximately 20% of Veterans have a diagnosis of dry eye (DE) syndrome which is often accompanied by ocular pain that significantly impacts activities of daily living.
Currently very few treatments are available for chronic ocular pain, likely because the mechanisms underlying this type of pain have only recently begun to be studied.
New treatments that target the neuropathic mechanisms contributing to this type of pain are needed.
The proposed research provides a crucial step in addressing the lack of treatments for neuropathic ocular pain by validating the methodology needed to support a randomized controlled trial of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).
TENS is a non-pharmacologic, non-addictive, non-invasive treatment that has been shown to be effective in other chronic pain conditions.
The present pilot study aims to address the need for preliminary support of safety and efficacy of TENS for ocular pain, t to advance the study of new treatments for the long-term relief of chronic ocular pain and its impact on health.
Study Overview
Status
Recruiting
Conditions
Intervention / Treatment
Study Type
Interventional
Enrollment (Estimated)
50
Phase
- Not Applicable
Contacts and Locations
This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.
Study Contact
- Name: Elizabeth R Felix, PhD
- Phone Number: (305) 243-4497
- Email: Elizabeth.Felix2@va.gov
Study Contact Backup
- Name: Anat Galor, MD MSPH
- Phone Number: (305) 450-6050
- Email: Anat.Galor@va.gov
Study Locations
-
-
Florida
-
Miami, Florida, United States, 33125
- Recruiting
- Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL
-
Contact:
- Luis A Gonzalez, MHA
- Phone Number: 305-575-3179
- Email: Luis.Gonzalez2@va.gov
-
Contact:
- Minh Tran, PhD
- Phone Number: (305) 575-7743
- Email: Minh.Tran@va.gov
-
Principal Investigator:
- Elizabeth R Felix, PhD
-
-
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
16 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- male or female
- all races and ethnicities
- at least 18 years of age
- persistent eye pain for at least 6 months
- average eye pain intensity of 4 or more on a 0-10 numerical rating scale
- on a stable medication regimen for at least the past 3 months
- na�ve to TENS use for orofacial conditions
- eye pain having neuropathic-like characteristics
Exclusion Criteria:
- presence of ocular diseases that are the likely cause of pain (i.e., corneal and conjunctival scarring, corneal edema, uveitis, iris transillumination defects, etc.)
- contraindication to TENS (i.e., pacemaker, cardioverter defibrillator, neuro-stimulation (brain or spinal cord), bone growth stimulations, indwelling blood pressure monitors, epilepsy, pregnancy)
- patients with confirmed signs of tear dysfunction
- current participation in another study with an investigational drug or device within one month prior to screening
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?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Triple
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Active TENS
TENS delivered for 20 minutes to the forehead via the active Cefaly (R) device; at least 3 times per week in-home; for 6 months.
|
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device with electrode placement at the forehead.
A biphasic rectangular wave will be delivered for a maximum of 20 minutes at a maximum amplitude of 16mA.
Participant may halt amplitude before it reaches maximum amplitude.
The device has previously been cleared by the FDA for use in migraine patients.
|
Sham Comparator: Sham TENS
Sham TENS delivered for 20 minutes to the forehead via the sham Cefaly (R) device; at least 3 times per week in-home; for 6 months.
|
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device with electrode placement at the forehead.
A 1Hz wave will be delivered for 20 minutes at 1mA.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Side-effect frequency and severity
Time Frame: 1 year
|
An open-ended questionnaire of side-effects will be used to assess any bothersome changes in physical or mental health symptoms every 2 weeks during the 6-month at-home course of treatment.
Severity, device/treatment-relatedness of symptoms, and desired or actual discontinuation of device use will be recorded.
|
1 year
|
Time to peak change in numerical rating scale (NRS, 0-10)
Time Frame: 1 year
|
Calculation of time (weeks) to peak reduction in eye pain will be made based on NRS scores obtained every two weeks after initiation of intervention protocol.
|
1 year
|
Enrollment rate
Time Frame: 1 year
|
Percentage of individuals who meet pre-screening requirements, are told about the study, and are consented and enrolled into the study
|
1 year
|
Screen failure rate
Time Frame: 1 year
|
The percentage of individuals who meet pre-screening requirements, consent to study procedures, but who do not meet full criteria after screening visit is conducted
|
1 year
|
Treatment compliance rate
Time Frame: 1 year
|
Calculation of the percentage of individuals who complete at least 75% of treatment session.
|
1 year
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Percentage of individuals who score 100% on checklist for proper use of TENS device
Time Frame: 1 year
|
The percentage of individuals who, after instruction, score 100% on checklist items for safe and proper use of the device.
|
1 year
|
Rate of uncertainty in participant treatment allocation guess
Time Frame: 1 year
|
Percentage of individuals who rate at least moderate uncertainty in guessing which treatment arm they were allocated to.
|
1 year
|
Other Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
Beta coefficients for participant demographics (sex, age, race/ethnicity) in regression model predicting adherence to treatment protocol
Time Frame: 1 year
|
Exploratory regression analysis to identify associations between demographic variables and number of treatment sessions completed
|
1 year
|
Beta coefficients for participant demographics (sex, age, race/ethnicity) in regression model predicting change in pain (Numerical Rating Scale)
Time Frame: 1 year
|
Exploratory regression analysis to identify associations between demographic variables and change in pain ratings (before vs. after 6 month TENS treatment)
|
1 year
|
Collaborators and Investigators
This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Elizabeth R Felix, PhD, Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, FL
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 (Actual)
October 3, 2022
Primary Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2024
Study Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2024
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
August 30, 2022
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 2, 2022
First Posted (Actual)
September 8, 2022
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
September 11, 2023
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
September 8, 2023
Last Verified
September 1, 2023
More Information
Terms related to this study
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- F3883-P
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
Yes
product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.
No
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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