Glaucoma, Visual Field Loss, and Their Association With Life Space in Older Adults

NCT ID: NCT04396002

Last Updated: 2025-09-12

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Total Enrollment: 100 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-06-01
• Study Completion Date: 2026-05-30

Brief Summary

Mobility refers to a person's purposeful movement through the environment from one place to another and can be conceptualized as a continuum from bed bound (immobility) on one extreme to making excursions to distant locations on the other extreme. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is a chronic, progressive optic neuropathy that can lead to gradual loss of vision in the peripheral field and central vision. Older adults with POAG have an increased risk for motor vehicle collisions and falls. Moreover, existing studies suggest that patients with POAG exhibit more postural sway while standing as measured by a balance platform and also tend to walk more slowly than those who are normally sighted and free of ocular disease. While these disturbances likely influence mobility, there has been little research directly assessing the impact of POAG on mobility. This study will assess the impact of POAG on life space (one aspect of mobility) and will determine whether difficulties with life space are associated with difficulties experienced under conditions of dim lighting.

Detailed Description

Aim 1: To determine whether differences exist between people with healthy eyes and patients with POAG in seeing under dim illumination (Low Luminance Questionnaire) and to determine whether such differences are associated with life space.

Aim 2: To determine whether differences exist between people with healthy eyes and patients with POAG in seeing under dim illumination (objective measures of visual function) and to determine whether such differences are associated with life space.

Conditions

Primary Open Angle Glaucoma

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: CASE_CONTROL
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Study Groups

Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Patients diagnosed with primary open-angle glaucoma.

Life Space Questionnaire

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

This 9-item questionnaire is interested in finding out how much a person gets out and about and the spatial extent of the person's typical life space, i.e., what is the usual range of places in which the person engages in activities within the designated time frame.

Low Luminance Questionnaire

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

This 32-item questionnaire is interested in finding out problems that involve vision under different lighting conditions or feelings that people have about your vision under different lighting conditions.

Contrast sensitivity under dim illumination

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants will be presented with visual targets of different contrast under dim illumination and asked to report when they see the target.

Visual field under dim illumination (MAIA)

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Sensitivity in the central visual area will be assessed under dim illumination

Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD)

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants will be asked to look at a fixation target and the density of their macular pigment will be assessed.

Dark Adaptation

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

After adapting to a dark environment, participants will be exposed a bright flask of light. the time needed for them to recover their sensitivity will be measured.

Control

Participants with healthy eyes.

Life Space Questionnaire

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

This 9-item questionnaire is interested in finding out how much a person gets out and about and the spatial extent of the person's typical life space, i.e., what is the usual range of places in which the person engages in activities within the designated time frame.

Low Luminance Questionnaire

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

This 32-item questionnaire is interested in finding out problems that involve vision under different lighting conditions or feelings that people have about your vision under different lighting conditions.

Contrast sensitivity under dim illumination

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants will be presented with visual targets of different contrast under dim illumination and asked to report when they see the target.

Visual field under dim illumination (MAIA)

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Sensitivity in the central visual area will be assessed under dim illumination

Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD)

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Participants will be asked to look at a fixation target and the density of their macular pigment will be assessed.

Dark Adaptation

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

After adapting to a dark environment, participants will be exposed a bright flask of light. the time needed for them to recover their sensitivity will be measured.

Interventions

Life Space Questionnaire

This 9-item questionnaire is interested in finding out how much a person gets out and about and the spatial extent of the person's typical life space, i.e., what is the usual range of places in which the person engages in activities within the designated time frame.

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Low Luminance Questionnaire

This 32-item questionnaire is interested in finding out problems that involve vision under different lighting conditions or feelings that people have about your vision under different lighting conditions.

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Contrast sensitivity under dim illumination

Participants will be presented with visual targets of different contrast under dim illumination and asked to report when they see the target.

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Visual field under dim illumination (MAIA)

Sensitivity in the central visual area will be assessed under dim illumination

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD)

Participants will be asked to look at a fixation target and the density of their macular pigment will be assessed.

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Dark Adaptation

After adapting to a dark environment, participants will be exposed a bright flask of light. the time needed for them to recover their sensitivity will be measured.

Intervention Type: DIAGNOSTIC_TEST

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Participants that are enrolled in the Early Detection of Glaucoma Progression using a Novel Individualized Approach (IRB-300000301) or in the African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation (ADAGES) IV: Alterations of the Lamina Cribrosa in Progression (IRB-161115004).

• No diagnosis of eye disease

Exclusion Criteria

• Not being enrolled in one of the following two NIH-funded studies: 1. African Descent and Glaucoma Evaluation (ADAGES) IV: Alterations of the lamina cribrosa in progression (EY026574) or 2. Early detection of glaucoma progression using a novel individualized approach (EY025756)

• Cognitive impairment that would preclude ability to take the tests

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of Alabama at Birmingham

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Lyne Racette

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Lyne Racette, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Locations

University of Alabama Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Lyne Racette, PhD

Role: CONTACT

lracette@uabmc.edu

205-325-8673

Facility Contacts

Lyne Racette, PhD

Role: primary

lracette@uabmc.edu

2053258673

Other Identifiers

5P30AG022838-14

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

300001552

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id