Simple eye test could predict nerve damage in dry eye sufferers
NCT ID NCT06482164
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This completed study looked at 31 people with dry eye to see if measuring corneal sensitivity (how well the eye feels touch) can detect early-stage neurotrophic keratopathy, a condition where the cornea loses sensation. Researchers aimed to find out which dry eye patients might later need special treatment. The study was purely observational and did not test any new drug or therapy.
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 help identify dry eye patients at risk for neurotrophic keratopathy earlier, potentially guiding future treatment decisions.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, completed observational study (31 people) that only measures a symptom, not a treatment. Results may not apply to all dry eye 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.
- 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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31 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Apr 2024
- Finished
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Aug 2024
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
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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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: \*Patients with the following: A diagnosis of dry eye disease Central or inferior corneal fluorescein staining defined by the Oxford Scale Reduced tear break up time (TBUT) ≤ 10 seconds. * Able to comprehend and sign a statement of informed consent. * Willing and able to complete all required postoperative visits. Exclusion Criteria: * Ocular surgery (e.g., intraocular, oculoplastic, corneal, or refractive surgical procedure) performed within the last 3 months or at any time in the investigator's clinical judgment if it would interfere with the outcome measures of this study. * Evidence of BAK or other chemical toxicity that, in the best judgment of the investigator, is causing reduced corneal sensitivity * Concomitant use of daily contact lenses that, in the best judgment of the investigator, is causing reduced corneal sensitivity * Clinically significant ocular trauma. * Active ocular Herpes simplex or Herpes Zoster infection * Ocular inflammation (uveitis, iritis, scleritis, episcleritis, keratitis, conjunctivitis) at the discretion of the investigator. * Ocular infection (e.g., viral, bacterial, mycobacterial, protozoan, or fungal infection or the cornea, conjunctiva, lacrimal gland, lacrimal sac or eyelids including hordeolum/stye). * Active, systemic, or local disease condition that causes clinically significant ocular surface irritation such that it could interfere with the study findings. * Moderate to severe (Grade 2-4) allergic, vernal or giant papillary conjunctivitis. * Severe (Grade 3 or 4) inflammation of the eyelid (e.g., blepharochalasis, staphylococcal blepharitis or seborrheic blepharitis) * Eyelid abnormalities that significantly affect the lid function (e.g., entropion, ectropion, tumor, edema, blepharospasm, lagophthalmos, severe trichiasis, severe ptosis). * Ocular surface abnormality that may compromise the corneal integrity (e.g., prior chemical burn, recurrent corneal erosion, map dot fingerprint dystrophy, or the effect of any other ophthalmic medication that might in the opinion of the investigator compromise the ocular surface integrity). * Participation in this trial in the same patient's fellow eye * Patients who are under age 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, or who may become pregnant during participation in the study.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Harvard Eye Associates
Laguna Beach, California, 92653, United States
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