Evaluation of the Protective Effects of Cordyceps Cicadae on Visual Function and Anti-Fatigue Performance in Esports Athletes

Evaluation of the Protective Effects of Cordyceps Cicadae on Visual Function and Anti-Fatigue Performance in Esports Athletes: A Prospective Trial

The objective of this study is to evaluate, through a clinical human consumption trial, the effects of taking two capsules (each containing 250 mg of Cordyceps cicadae mycelium, for a total intake of 500 mg per dose) of Grape King Cordyceps cicadae mycelium on visual function and anti-fatigue performance in esports athletes.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Dry Eye; Visual Acuity; Accommodation
• Intervention / Treatment: Dietary supplement: Cordyceps cicadae; Dietary supplement: Blank control

Detailed Description

This study aims to enroll 12 participants (aged 20-30 years), who are esports players, through oral announcements for recruitment. The anticipated source of participants will be students from the Department of Multimedia Game Development and Applications, Hungkuang University of Science and Technology, second-year and above.

On the day prior to the trial, participants will undergo a baseline ophthalmic examination (serving as the control values). Following the baseline assessment, participants will undergo ophthalmic examinations after 1 hour and 2 hours of esports training, respectively, resulting in a total of three measurements. All data will be recorded in the case report form (CRF).

On the day of the trial, participants will first undergo an ophthalmic examination. After completion, all 12 participants will be randomly allocated into groups using the QuickCalcs randomization tool (GraphPad Software, https://www.graphpad.com/quickcalcs/randomize1/). Based on the random allocation, capsule packages labeled with codes 001 to 012 will be prepared, containing either the investigational product or placebo. Each package will be distributed to the corresponding participant. Of the 12 participants, 3 will be assigned to the placebo group, and 9 will be assigned to the Cordyceps cicadae mycelium group.

Participants will undergo ophthalmic examinations at 1 hour and 2 hours post-administration, and the results will be recorded in the CRF.

The investigational product will be in capsule form, containing Cordyceps cicadae mycelium (250 mg per capsule) and excipients, with no other additives. The placebo will have the same excipients and capsule composition, except without the mycelium. Each participant will take a single oral dose on the test day (2 capsules). All investigational products and placebos will be provided by Grape King Bio Ltd.

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

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taichung, Taiwan
    • Chung Shan Medical University Hui-Wen Lin lab

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• People with myopia less than 700 degrees
• Willing to participate in this study and sign the consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

• (1) Those who have recently consumed related eye care products
• (2) Those who have had eye infections or surgery in the past three months
• (3) Those who have been diagnosed with eye diseases by an ophthalmologist (such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, etc., or have undergone eye surgery such as cataract surgery, retinal laser surgery, myopia laser surgery, etc., which will be excluded before accepting the case)
• (4) Those who are allergic to cicada fungus

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo Comparator Arm; Placebo	Dietary supplement: Blank control; Blank control
Experimental: Experimental Arm; Cordyceps cicadae 500mg	Dietary supplement: Cordyceps cicadae; Cordyceps cicadae 500mg

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Tear break-up time	Tear film break-up time (TBUT) on the corneal surface will be recorded in seconds using corneal topography.	3 hours
Eye fatigue questionnaire	The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) was used to assess visual fatigue. The subjects were asked to fill in the questionnaire before and after taking the medicine, and the scores were calculated. Symptoms include eyestrain, discomfort, burning, irritation, pain, soreness, eye pain, double vision, photophobia, blurriness, itching, tearing, dryness, and foreign body sensation	3 hours
Accommodative Facility	Use +/- 0.50D flip mirror and special optometry cards to test the number of optometry cards that the patient can read within one minute and record the number of flip cycles.	3 hours
Visual acuity measurement	Examinations include (a) distance visual acuity (DVA) and (b) near visual acuity (NVA), recorded using the Snellen chart.	3 hours
Intraocular Pressure	The intraocular pressure (IOP) of the subjects was measured by non-contact intraocular pressure measurement in mmHg.	3 hours
Tear meniscus height (TMH)	Tear meniscus height (TMH) will be evaluated using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and recorded in millimeters.	3 hours
Meibomian gland observation	The meibomian glands will be evaluated using corneal topography to document their morphology, quantity, and size.	3 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: China Medical University Hospital
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Hui-Wen Lin, Ph.D, Chung Shang medical university

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): August 12, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 13, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 11, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): August 21, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 21, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 19, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Fatigue
• Other Study ID Numbers: CS1-25024

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: This experiment involves patents and intellectual property rights

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No