Zapping the brain may help people with macular degeneration read better
NCT ID NCT04762368
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a gentle electrical brain stimulation, called a-tDCS, can make reading training more effective for people with age-related or juvenile macular degeneration. About 30 participants will do six reading training sessions while receiving either real or fake stimulation. The goal is to see if the combination improves reading speed and sharpness more than training alone.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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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
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Feb 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosis of AMD (age 60+) or JMD (current age 18+). 2. Visual acuity (VA); between 6/9-6/96 in the better eye 3. Best-corrected near visual acuity of 4.0M at 40 cm or better in the better eye 4. Stable vision in previous 3 months (patient report) 5. Central vision loss Exclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosed dementia. 2. Not fluent in reading English (Waterloo) or Chinese characters (Hong Kong). 3. Any ocular surgery (including anti-vegF injections) within the duration of the study, except for: A. Chronic and continuous injections for at least 1 year. B. Injections stopped at least 2 months before participation. C. Injections in the untested eye 4. Ocular pathology other than JMD or AMD that can significantly reduce central vision. Example: mild cataract of grade 2 or below is acceptable 5. Severe hearing impairment. 6. Contraindications for brain stimulation
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites in 2 countries. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
RECRUITINGHung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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University of Waterloo
RECRUITINGWaterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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