The Baltimore Reading and Eye Disease Study

NCT ID: NCT02607384

Last Updated: 2019-11-12

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

328 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2014-11-30

Study Completion Date

2017-07-31

Brief Summary

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The Baltimore Reading and Eye Disease Study (BREDS) is a two year study to determine the prevalence of vision problems in an early school age population with reading difficulty. Comprehensive vision and reading tests will be administered to 400 students at participating schools in the Baltimore City Public School system.

A secondary goal is to examine the impact of vision treatment on reading performance. Children with refractive error or convergence insufficiency will be provided treatment free of charge. The investigators will evaluate the impact that the treatment has on vision function and reading performance.

Detailed Description

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Learning to read is a fundamental skill taught in the early years of elementary school education. Students who experience difficulty reading are at risk for long-term struggles with academic achievement. In fact, achieving reading proficiency by the end of third grade has been established as key predictor of life success.

While a number of factors contribute to reading problems, an undiagnosed or untreated ocular condition may present one possible etiology. To the investigator's knowledge, there are no large scale or prospective studies evaluating the prevalence of vision disorders in children with reading difficulties. Previously, the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study performed visual assessments in the Baltimore area for children 6 months through 5 years of age to establish the prevalence of select ocular disorders in this pre-school population. Little is known about the types of vision problems that affect a grade school population with and without reading difficulty.

There is general consensus that undiagnosed or untreated vision problems may contribute to reading difficulty, although the extent to which treatment will improve reading performance is not well established. Although there are some studies demonstrating that treatment of vision problems can improve reading performance, publications on the efficacy of school-based interventions to identify and treat vision problems in school-age children are lacking. If successful, a school-based intervention could have significant impact improving reading performance, especially in high poverty neighborhoods where children have the highest risk of poor reading aptitude and limited access to eye care services.

The primary goal of this research study is to determine the prevalence of vision problems in an early school age population with reading difficulty. To adequately address this question, the investigators will administer reading and vision assessments to 400 second and third graders in participating schools within the Baltimore City Public School system. In addition, the investigators will obtain information on how many children with vision problems have received treatment in the past, and if not, why not. The investigators will also determine how schools handle and refer children who are felt to be poor readers in order to assist with planning future interventions.

This study will be conducted over a two-year period. In the first year, the investigators conducted baseline vision and reading assessment on all participating subjects. In the second year, the investigators will conduct follow up vision and reading assessments on all children treated with eyeglasses or eye exercises and a subset of subjects with healthy eye exams. The investigators plan to evaluate any barriers to interventions, and where possible assist in overcoming such barriers, for example by replacing lost/broken eyeglasses.

A secondary goal is to examine the impact of vision treatment on reading performance. Children with refractive error and convergence insufficiency will be provided treatment free of charge. The investigators will evaluate the impact that the treatment has on vision function and reading performance.

In subsequent phases of this project, the investigators also hope to learn how novel treatments (e.g. iPads) impact reading performance.

Conditions

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Refractive Error Visual Impairment Convergence Insufficiency Reading Disabilities

Study Design

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Allocation Method

NA

Intervention Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Primary Study Purpose

OTHER

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Vision problems

Children with refractive error will be prescribed eyeglass wearing, and children with convergence insufficiency will be given orthoptic exercises. Children with any other vision problem will be given a specialist referral to a pediatric eye specialist.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Eyeglass wearing

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children found to require eyeglasses will be given two pairs free of charge

Orthoptic exercises

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Children found to have convergence insufficiency will be prescribed orthoptic exercises

Specialist referral

Intervention Type OTHER

Children found to any other eye condition will be referred to a pediatric eye care specialist

Interventions

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Eyeglass wearing

Children found to require eyeglasses will be given two pairs free of charge

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Orthoptic exercises

Children found to have convergence insufficiency will be prescribed orthoptic exercises

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Specialist referral

Children found to any other eye condition will be referred to a pediatric eye care specialist

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Medically and cognitively capable of completing a reading test and eye examination

Exclusion Criteria

* Limited English proficiency (as categorized by the school district)
* Severe cognitive delay that limits ability to complete a written examination
* Ocular condition that has resulted in severe, irreversible visual impairment
* Medical/ neurological co-morbidities causing significant cognitive delay or cortical visual impairment
Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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Johns Hopkins University

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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David S Friedman, MD, MPH, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Johns Hopkins University

Megan E Collins, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Johns Hopkins University

References

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Francis DJ, Shaywitz SE, Stuebing KK, Shaywitz BA, & Fletcher, J. M. Developmental lag versus deficit models of reading disability: A longitudinal, individual growth curves analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology 1996; 88:3-17.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Handler SM, Fierson WM, Section on Ophthalmology; Council on Children with Disabilities; American Academy of Ophthalmology; American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus; American Association of Certified Orthoptists. Learning disabilities, dyslexia, and vision. Pediatrics. 2011 Mar;127(3):e818-56. doi: 10.1542/peds.2010-3670. Epub 2011 Feb 28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21357342 (View on PubMed)

Giordano L, Friedman DS, Repka MX, Katz J, Ibironke J, Hawes P, Tielsch JM. Prevalence of refractive error among preschool children in an urban population: the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study. Ophthalmology. 2009 Apr;116(4):739-46, 746.e1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.12.030. Epub 2009 Feb 25.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19243832 (View on PubMed)

Friedman DS, Repka MX, Katz J, Giordano L, Ibironke J, Hawes P, Burkom D, Tielsch JM. Prevalence of decreased visual acuity among preschool-aged children in an American urban population: the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study, methods, and results. Ophthalmology. 2008 Oct;115(10):1786-95, 1795.e1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2008.04.006. Epub 2008 Jun 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 18538407 (View on PubMed)

Williams WR, Latif AH, Hannington L, Watkins DR. Hyperopia and educational attainment in a primary school cohort. Arch Dis Child. 2005 Feb;90(2):150-3. doi: 10.1136/adc.2003.046755.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 15665167 (View on PubMed)

Stifter E, Burggasser G, Hirmann E, Thaler A, Radner W. Monocular and binocular reading performance in children with microstrabismic amblyopia. Br J Ophthalmol. 2005 Oct;89(10):1324-9. doi: 10.1136/bjo.2005.066688.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16170125 (View on PubMed)

Butler BC, Klein R. Inattentional blindness for ignored words: comparison of explicit and implicit memory tasks. Conscious Cogn. 2009 Sep;18(3):811-9. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2009.02.009. Epub 2009 Mar 26.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19328012 (View on PubMed)

Granet DB. Learning disabilities, dyslexia, and vision: The role of the pediatric ophthalmologist. J AAPOS. 2011 Apr;15(2):119-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2011.03.003. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21596289 (View on PubMed)

Levine MD. Reading disability: do the eyes have it? Pediatrics. 1984 Jun;73(6):869-70. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 6728588 (View on PubMed)

Lubkin V. The ophthalmologist and the reading problem. Bull N Y Acad Med. 1968 Apr;44(4):459-69. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 5241254 (View on PubMed)

Dusek WA, Pierscionek BK, McClelland JF. An evaluation of clinical treatment of convergence insufficiency for children with reading difficulties. BMC Ophthalmol. 2011 Aug 11;11:21. doi: 10.1186/1471-2415-11-21.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21835034 (View on PubMed)

Borsting E, Mitchell GL, Kulp MT, Scheiman M, Amster DM, Cotter S, Coulter RA, Fecho G, Gallaway MF, Granet D, Hertle R, Rodena J, Yamada T; CITT Study Group. Improvement in academic behaviors after successful treatment of convergence insufficiency. Optom Vis Sci. 2012 Jan;89(1):12-8. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0b013e318238ffc3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22080400 (View on PubMed)

Heckman JJ. The case for investing in disadvantaged young children. Investing in our nation's future. First Focus Report 2008; 49-59

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Huang AH, Guo X, Mudie LI, Wolf R, Owoeye J, Repka MX, Friedman DS, Slavin RE, Collins ME. Baltimore Reading and Eye Disease Study (BREDS): compliance and satisfaction with glasses usage. J AAPOS. 2019 Aug;23(4):207.e1-207.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaapos.2019.01.018. Epub 2019 May 18.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 31112777 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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IRB00032063

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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