Could insulin eye drops save your sight?
NCT ID NCT05206877
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This early-stage trial tests whether insulin eye drops are safe for people with glaucoma and other optic nerve conditions. Researchers at Stanford will give different doses of insulin drops to 52 participants for 1-2 months. The main goal is to check for side effects, but they will also measure any changes in retinal thickness and vision.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- insulin eye drops
- What this could lead to
- If safe, this could point toward a new way to protect vision in people with glaucoma or other optic nerve diseases.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early Phase 1 safety trial with only 52 people. It is not designed to prove the drops improve vision, and side effects are unknown.
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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Phase 1
The first testing in people. Mainly checks safety and dose, usually in a small group.
- Participants
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About 52 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2022
- 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: * Capable to provide informed consent * Diagnosis of optic neuropathy either glaucoma or NAION or optic disc drusen. * Only one eye per patient will be selected as the study eye - if both eyes meet the inclusion criteria, the eye with the worse acuity and /or visual field will be selected. The contralateral eye will be left untouched. Exclusion Criteria: * Pregnant or breastfeeding woman * Presence of any ocular pathologies other than glaucoma that contributes to the severe vision loss (retinopathy / maculopathy, severe uveitis, keratopathy, etc.) * Diagnosis of glucose intolerance, type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus * Inability to perform reliable visual field * Unable to provide informed consent * Unable to complete the tests and follow-ups required by 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.
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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Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University
RECRUITINGPalo Alto, California, 94303, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can better Follow-Up schedules save sight in glaucoma?
- Portable devices could take the guesswork out of eye pressure checks
- Eye drops may shield the cornea after cataract surgery
- Can a puff of air replace the eye pressure probe?
- New eye scans may catch glaucoma before vision loss