New Light-Based eye scan could spot corneal disease early
NCT ID NCT02118922
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study is testing a new imaging technique called Brillouin microscopy to see if it can diagnose keratoconus and other corneal thinning conditions. Researchers will scan the corneas of 168 volunteers, including healthy people and those with keratoconus or post-LASIK ectasia, to compare corneal stiffness. The goal is to develop a non-invasive diagnostic tool that could detect these diseases earlier and more accurately than current methods.
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 provide a new, non-invasive way to diagnose corneal diseases like keratoconus earlier and more accurately.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage diagnostic study, not a treatment trial. The technique may not prove reliable enough for routine clinical use.
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
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About 168 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2013
- Expected to finish
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Sep 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.
Who is studied
General population
- Ages
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20 to 75 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide 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: Group I includes healthy subjects with normal appearing corneas, normal topography and pachymetry. Group II includes patients diagnosed as having mild, moderate or advanced keratoconus by our ophthalmology expert on the basis of topography and pachymetry. Group III includes healthy subjects who have undergone LASIK surgery in the past 12 months without complications. Inclusion criteria include normal post-operative topography and pachymetry. Group IV includes patients (age 20 - 60) who have undergone LASIK surgery at least 12 months before the study imaging and have been diagnosed with post-LASIK ectasia based on topography, pachymetry and clinical evaluation.Patients diagnosed with keratoconus. Group V- Volunteers to receive PRK surgery This group includes patients who have been diagnosed with myopia and have been scheduled to undergo PRK surgery. Patients with high astigmatism \> 2 diopter, prior ocular surgeries, and those patients taking any ocular medications except seasonal allergy medicine such as ketotifen or artificial tears will be excluded. Group VI-Volunteers to receive LASIK Surgery This group includes myopic patients who are scheduled to receive LASIK surgery. Patients with high astigmatism \> 2 diopter, prior ocular surgeries, and those patients taking any ocular medications except seasonal allergy medicine such as ketotifen and artificial tears will be excluded. Group VII- Patients with Fuch's Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy. This group includes subjects who are diagnosed with Fuch's corneal dystrophy, at early, mild and advanced stages. The inclusion also extends to subjects with, and without keratoconus. But this exclude patients with any other corneal disorders other than keratoconus, and/or history of ophthalmological surgeries that may affect endothelium cell status, e.g. cataract surgeries. Overall Exclusion Criteria for all groups: Volunteers who * Have occludable narrow angles (without a patent peripheral iridotomy) * Monocular subjects * Do not or cannot understand the instructions for the imaging
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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
1 site. 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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Massachusetts General Hospital
RECRUITINGBoston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States
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