Rod and Cone Mediated Function in Retinal Disease

NCT ID: NCT02617966

Last Updated: 2025-12-26

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

RECRUITING

Total Enrollment

500 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-03-24

Study Completion Date

2029-12-30

Brief Summary

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Background:

Retinal diseases cause the loss of rod and cone photoreceptors. Symptoms include vision loss and night blindness. Researchers want to learn about rod and cone function in healthy people and people with retinal disease. They want to know if how well a person sees in the dark can test the severity of retinal disease.

Objectives:

To find out if how well a person sees in the dark can test the severity of retinal disease. To find out if this can help detect retinal disease and track its changes.

Eligibility:

People ages 5 and older with:

Retinal disease OR

20/20 vision or better with or without correction in at least one eye

Design:

Participants will be screened with medical and eye history and eye exam. Those with retinal disease will also have:

Eye imaging: Drops dilate the eye and pictures are taken of it.

Visual field testing: Participants look into a bowl and press a button when they see light.

Electroretinogram (ERG): An electrode is taped to the forehead. Participants sit in the

dark with their eyes patched for 30 minutes. Then they get numbing drops and contact

lenses. Participants watch lights while retina signals are recorded.

Visit 1 will be 3-8 hours. Participants will have up to 6 more visits over 6-12 months. Visits include:

Eye exam and imaging

Time course of dark adaptation: Participants view a background light for 5 minutes then

push a button when they see colored light.

Dark adapted sensitivity: Participants sit in the dark for 45 minutes. They push a button when

they see colored light.

For participants with retinal disease, ERG and visual field testing

...

Detailed Description

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Objective: The objective of this protocol is to investigate local changes in rod and cone photoreceptor function across the retina in healthy volunteers and participants with retinal disease.

Study Population: Up to 250 healthy volunteers and 250 participants, age five or older, with retinal disease.

Design: This single-center, observational, case-control study will be comprised of three related Aims that assess rod and cone function with commercial perimeters and/or a commercial Cambridge Research Systems computer monitor (Display++) specialized for displaying stimuli at low light intensities. For Aim 1 the normal retinal sensitivity ranges will be established for both fundus-guided and non-guided perimeters. For Aim 2, the normal range for describing the kinetics of dark adaptation following bleaching of retinal rhodopsin will be established for the fundus-guided and non-guided perimeters. For Aim 3, local changes in rod and cone photoreceptor function across the retina in participants with retinal disease will be examined from measurement of the kinetics of dark adaptation, scotopic and photopic retinal sensitivity, and/or Radial Frequency (RF) hyperacuity on the Display++ monitor. Testing may also include patient reported outcome (PRO) questionnaires to assess vision problems under low luminance conditions.

Outcome Measures: The primary outcome for this study is to establish normal ranges for A) the kinetics of dark adaptation (time), B) retinal sensitivity (dB) for the fundus-guided and non-guided perimeters, and C) RF hyperacuity on the Display++ monitor. The secondary outcomes will be to examine changes in the kinetics of dark adaptation, scotopic and photopic retinal sensitivity, and/or RF hyperacuity in participants with retinal disease and potentially correlate these clinical measures with patients self-reported evaluation of their vision under low luminance conditions.

Conditions

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Retinal Degeneration Retinitis Pigmentosa Stargardt's Disease

Keywords

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Retina Retinal Degeneration Retinitis Pigmentosa Stargardt's Disease Dark Adaptation

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

CASE_CONTROL

Study Time Perspective

CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

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Affected

Participants with retinal disease

No interventions assigned to this group

Unaffected

Healthy volunteers

No interventions assigned to this group

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Participant must be five years of age or older.
* Participant (or legal guardian) must understand and sign the protocol s informed consent document.
* Participant must be able to cooperate with the testing required for this study.

For Participants with retinal disease only:

* Participant must have retinal disease, defined as evidence of loss of retinal dysfunction and/or degeneration as established by standard clinical methods including perimetry, ERG and imaging.
* Participant must have a measurable visual acuity.

For Healthy Volunteers only:

-Participant must have visual acuity of 20/20 or better, with or without correction (e.g., glasses or contact lens) in at least one eye.

Exclusion Criteria

-Participant with changes in pre-retinal media sufficient to obscure a view of the retina.
Minimum Eligible Age

5 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

100 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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National Eye Institute (NEI)

NIH

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Brett G Jeffrey, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

National Eye Institute (NEI)

Locations

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National Institutes of Health Clinical Center

Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Daniel W Claus, R.N.

Role: CONTACT

Phone: (301) 451-1621

Email: [email protected]

Brett G Jeffrey, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

Phone: (301) 402-2391

Email: [email protected]

References

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Jackson GR, Owsley C, Curcio CA. Photoreceptor degeneration and dysfunction in aging and age-related maculopathy. Ageing Res Rev. 2002 Jun;1(3):381-96. doi: 10.1016/s1568-1637(02)00007-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 12067593 (View on PubMed)

Massof RW, Finkelstein D. Rod sensitivity relative to cone sensitivity in retinitis pigmentosa. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1979 Mar;18(3):263-72.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 422332 (View on PubMed)

Birch DG, Wen Y, Locke K, Hood DC. Rod sensitivity, cone sensitivity, and photoreceptor layer thickness in retinal degenerative diseases. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011 Sep 9;52(10):7141-7. doi: 10.1167/iovs.11-7509.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21810977 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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Other Identifiers

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16-EI-0024

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: secondary_id

160024

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id