3 Clinical Trials for Various Conditions
Intravitreal injections are an efficient method of delivering therapeutic levels of medications to the posterior segment of the eye. Prior to receiving an injection, there are various methods to provide ocular anesthesia. Vibration may have an anti-nociceptive effect by directly decreasing the sensitivity of peripheral nociceptors or by reducing signal transmission from peripheral nociceptors to the brain with activation of vibratory sensation pathways. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use of a handheld fingertip vibrator compared to topical eye drops for pain control while performing intravitreal eye injections. A secondary objective of the study is to measure corneal and conjunctiva sensitivity with and without activation of the vibrator to the lower lid using a Luneau Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer.
Intravitreal injections (IVI) are a common form of treatment for multiple retinal pathologies. The investigators hypothesize that an intervention with a topical NSAID will alleviate pain experienced at intravitreal injection (IVI) and post-IVI. 46 participants will be recruited, randomized into 1 of 3 treatment arms, and can expect to be on study for a day.
There are currently several different commercially available topical eye drops and gels used to reduce eye discomfort (topical anesthetics) during and after eye injections. Dr. Pollack is performing a research study to evaluate three commercially available topical anesthetics (eye numbing treatments) to determine if individuals have a preference for one over the other. The three topical anesthetics being studied are 1) 0.5% proparacaine hydrochloride (generic, Akorn, Inc), 2) 0.5% proparacaine hydrochloride (generic, Akorn, Inc) PLUS 4% lidocaine hydrochloride topical solution (generic, Roxane Laboratories), and 3) 3.5% lidocaine hydrochloride ophthalmic gel (Akten, Akorn, Inc). These eye anesthetics are NOT experimental medications. They are all commercially available topical anesthetics currently used in our offices and their use is widespread among retina specialists throughout the United States. Dr. Pollack will randomly select one topical anesthetic to use and he will ask you to grade your level of pain associated with the injection procedure. Answering these questions should take less than one minute of your time and your identity will NOT be revealed with the results of this study. The results of this study will be used to inform doctors which eye anesthetics patients find most effective for pain control during eye injections.