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Eye scans may spot Epilepsy's silent brain damage

NCT ID NCT07716930

Knowledge-focused Sponsor: Kemal Tutkavul Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only This study
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 Results may not be published yet.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This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.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 21, 2026 · Last updated Jul 22, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

This study investigates whether epilepsy causes progressive damage to the brain by looking at the retina—the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Researchers will use optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure retinal thickness and blood vessel changes in 250 adults aged 18–40 with epilepsy or other neurological conditions. They will also measure inflammatory markers in the blood. The goal is to see if retinal changes can help predict which patients will develop drug-resistant epilepsy and how the disease progresses over 18 months.

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 could lead to a simple, non-invasive eye scan to track epilepsy progression and identify drug-resistant cases early.
What could go wrong
This is an observational study, not a treatment trial. It may find no clear link between retinal changes and epilepsy, or the results may not apply to all patients.

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.

Participants

About 250 people

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

Started

Jul 2026

Expected to finish

Apr 2028

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.

Who is studied

The population will consist of three groups: patients with epilepsy (n=150), disease-control patients with chronic pain disorders using relevant medications (n=50) and healthy controls (n=50). Patients with epilepsy will include individuals diagnosed with epilepsy for at least 1 year and treated with at least one antiseizure medication. The epilepsy group will be further categorized according to drug-resistant epilepsy status. Participants with epilepsy will undergo NHS3 and LAEP-TR assessments at baseline and at 18 months using the same standardized administration procedures at both visits. The disease-control group (Control 1 group) will include patients with migraine, analgesic-overuse headache, or neuralgia who have been receiving relevant medication. Healthy controls (Control 2 group; HC) will include volunteers with no history of epilepsy, major neurological disease, ophthalmological disease, or regular antiseizure medication use.

Ages

18 to 40 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: * Age between 18 and 40 years * Ability to provide written informed consent * For the epilepsy group: diagnosis of epilepsy for at least 1 year * For the epilepsy group: treatment with at least one antiseizure medication for at least 1 year * For the disease-control group: diagnosis of migraine, analgesic-overuse headache, or neuralgia * For the disease-control group: current treatment with at least one antiseizure medication for a non-epileptic indication * For the disease-control group: no history of epilepsy or unprovoked seizures * For the healthy-control group: no history of epilepsy, major neurological disease, ophthalmological disease, or regular antiseizure medication use Exclusion Criteria: * Age younger than 18 years or older than 40 years * Inability or unwillingness to provide written informed consent * History of ocular surgery, ocular trauma, glaucoma, retinal disease, optic neuropathy, or severe refractive error, defined as spherical equivalent greater than ±6.0 diopters * Media opacity or poor image quality preventing reliable OCT or OCTA assessment * Vigabatrin or Valproate use * Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, dementia, brain tumor, stroke, optic neuritis, or other major neurological disorders * Evidence of visual pathway lesions on MRI * Diabetes mellitus, uncontrolled hypertension, or other systemic vascular, metabolic diseases that may affect retinal or OCTA parameters * Chronic alcohol or psychoactive substance abuse * Inability to undergo OCT or OCTA examination because of cognitive, behavioral, or physical limitations

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Drug Resistant Epilepsy epilepsy Nerve Degeneration Neuroinflammatory Diseases

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Epilepsy Epilepsy (treatment refractory)

How to take part

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  1. The places running it

    1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Saglik Bilimleri University Haydarpasa Numune Education and Research Hospital Neurology Clinic

    Istanbul, 34668, Turkey (Türkiye)

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