Your pupils reveal how light shapes sleep—and why age and sex matter

NCT ID NCT05829044

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jul 13, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates how the pupil's response to different light stimuli varies by sex and age in healthy people, and how that relates to sleep timing, body clock rhythms, and hormone responses. Participants wear a light-activity monitor for a week, then stay in a research room for 3 days and 2 nights for testing. The goal is to better understand non-visual light input that affects sleep and circadian rhythms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

What this could lead to
If successful, this research could help tailor lighting environments to improve sleep and circadian health for different age and sex groups.
What could go wrong
This is a small observational study (48 participants) focused on healthy volunteers, so findings may not apply to people with sleep disorders or medical conditions.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 48 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Dec 2023

Expected to finish

Jun 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 85 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Accepted

You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * (i) 18-85 years old. * (ii) Habitual sleep onset 10 pm- 1 am (healthy controls only); * (iii) Habitual wake onset 5:30 am- 8:30 am (healthy controls only); * (iv) vision correctable to 20/30; * (v) stable medically. * (vi) ability to speak, understand, and read English at a high school level Exclusion Criteria: * (i) Color blind by Ishihara Color Blindness Test; * (ii) any history of eye trauma, surgery or abnormality (e.g., retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, amblyopia, macular degeneration, congenital color vision deficiencies, or any type of blindness) besides correctable vision abnormalities (e.g., with glasses); any abnormalities on clinical eye exam (e.g., neuritis, Neuromyelitis optica, treated or untreated glaucoma) such that the ophthalmologist recommends the participant not be studied; Limited cataracts (e.g., Lens Opacities Classification (LOCS) III grade \<2) will be allowed and documented during the eye exam. Eye drops that affect pupil size or contractility (e.g. mydriatics, miotics); drops to treat glaucoma (e.g., pilocarpine, brimonidine, other drops like artificial tear drops, or anti-inflammatory drops would not be exclusionary) * (iii) current or history of neurologic or psychiatric disease including autonomic function disorder or migraines; psychiatric disorder requiring medications in a first degree relative (healthy controls only); limited-duration counseling without prescription medications will not be exclusionary; (iv) current or history of circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorder (healthy controls only); * (v) prescription or non-prescription drugs affecting the pupil (e.g., affecting autonomic function), sleep, melatonin (e.g., lithium, alpha- and beta-adrenergic antagonists), and/or circadian rhythms (e.g., beta blockers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, tricyclics); * (vi) Other disorders that can affect or may be affected by intrinsically photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cell (ipRGC) function, including diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, seasonal affective disorder; * (vii) shift- or night-work in past three months; history of night work in preceding 3 year period * (viii) crossing more than 2 time zones in past three months; * (ix) presence of depression as assessed by a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score \>14. * (x) pregnant or less than 6 weeks post-partum or breast-feeding

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As listed by the trial registrant

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How to take part

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  1. The places running it

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  2. The official record

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    Open the record ↗

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Massachusetts General Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

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