2 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Endothelial keratoplasty is a cornea-sparing transplant technique that replaces only the diseased endothelial cell layer of the patient's cornea. This technique offers many advantages compared with traditional full-thickness cornea transplants. Patients experience minimal change in glasses prescription and usually recover useful vision within weeks. Visual fluctuations are minimal during the healing process. The patient's cornea remains structurally intact and is more resistant to injury. Endothelial keratoplasty is undergoing rapid and widespread adoption. Between 2005 and 2007, the number of corneas placed by US eye banks for endothelial keratoplasty increased ten-fold (2007 Eye Bank Association of America Annual Report). However, the procedure is less than 10 years old, and little is known about long term outcomes. Endothelial keratoplasty candidates at our center are invited to participate in an open enrollment, prospective study of the long-term outcomes of this procedure.
This study will investigate congenital or developmental eye abnormalities that affect the iris, cornea and lens, and are usually accompanied by elevated pressure within the eye. These disorders can cause vision loss, and the increased eye pressure can lead to glaucoma, a condition that may also cause loss of eyesight. Patients with eye anterior chamber eye disease, such as Axenfeld's syndrome, Rieger's anomaly, Peter's anomaly, iridocorneal endothelial syndrome, megalocornea, ocular hypertension, and others, are eligible for this study. Participants will have a medical examination, family history, and comprehensive eye examination. Tests and procedures may include photographs of the cornea, iris, and the structure through which fluid that normally circulates behind the cornea drains out of the eye. Some patients may undergo indentation tonography to measure how easily this fluid drains. In this procedure, the patient lies on an examination table and both eyes are numbed with eye drops. A small instrument (tonometer) is placed on the surface of one eye, and with the other eye, the patient looks at an overhead light. Other tests may include photographs of the back of the eye and ultrasound imaging of the structures of the eye. A blood sample may be drawn to study the genetic disorder responsible for the disease. Patients will have follow-up examinations every 6 months for the duration of the study. Medical or surgical therapy will be recommended, as appropriate, for patients who develop elevated eye pressure or vision loss.