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AmblyopiaPhase 2ATS14NCT00789672

Pilot Study to Evaluate Levodopa as Treatment for Residual Amblyopia

A Phase 2 study testing levodopa/carbidopa and patching in people with Amblyopia, run by Jaeb Center for Health Research at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

This pilot study is being conducted as a prelude to a randomized trial to compare levodopa/carbidopa plus patching versus patching alone. The purpose of the pilot study is to demonstrate recruitment potential, to provide prospective data on the tolerability of levodopa as a treatment for amblyopia, to provide limited… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 8 to 17 years
Conditions the study is for
Amblyopia
What is being tested?
levodopa/carbidopa and patching
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
33 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jan 2009to Dec 2009
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 8 to 17 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Age 8 to < 18 years old
  • Amblyopia associated with strabismus, anisometropia, or both
  • Visual acuity in the amblyopic eye 18 to 67 letters inclusive (20/50 to 20/400)
  • Visual acuity in the sound eye ≥ 78 letters (20/25 or better)
  • Current amblyopia treatment of at least 2 hours patching per day
  • No improvement in best-corrected amblyopic eye visual acuity between two consecutive visits at least 4 weeks apart using the same testing method and optimal spectacle correction (if needed), with no improvement of more than 4 letters or one logMAR line.

Who cannot join

  • Myopia more than -6.00 D (spherical equivalent) in either eye.
  • Current vision therapy or orthoptics
  • Ocular cause for reduced visual acuity
  • nystagmus per se does not exclude the subject if the above visual acuity criteria are met
  • Prior intraocular or refractive surgery
  • History of narrow-angle glaucoma
Show all 21Show fewer
  • Strabismus surgery planned within 16 weeks
  • Known allergy to levodopa-carbidopa
  • History of dystonic reactions
  • Current requirement to take oral iron supplements including multivitamins containing iron during the 8 weeks of treatment with levodopa-carbidopa
  • Current use of antihypertensive, anti-depressant medications, phenothiazines, butyrophenones, risperidone and isoniazid, non-specific monoamine oxidase inhibitors
  • Current use of medication for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
  • Known gastrointestinal or liver disease
  • History of melanoma
  • Known psychological problems
  • Known skin reactions to patch or bandage adhesives
  • Prior levodopa treatment
  • Current treatment with topical atropine
  • Females who are pregnant, lactating, or intending to become pregnant within the next 16 weeks.
  • A negative urine pregnancy test will be required for all females who have experienced menarche.
  • Requirements regarding the establishment of pregnancy and monitoring of pregnancy over the course of the study as defined by each individual Institutional Review Board may supersede these criteria.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Wilmer Eye Institute

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21287

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: A Pilot Study to Evaluate Levodopa as Treatment for Residual Amblyopia in 8 to 17 Year Olds

This pilot study is being conducted as a prelude to a randomized trial to compare levodopa/carbidopa plus patching versus patching alone. The purpose of the pilot study is to demonstrate recruitment potential, to provide prospective data on the tolerability of levodopa as a treatment for amblyopia, to provide limited data on its safety, to provide limited data on it's efficiency, and to provide data to assist in selecting a dose to use in a subsequent phase 3 randomized trial. In addition, this study will provide the opportunity for investigators to gain experience in using levodopa prior to a randomized trial.

Read the detailed description

Amblyopia is the most common cause of monocular visual impairment in both children and young and middle-aged adults. Both patching and atropine are accepted treatment modalities for the management of moderate amblyopia in children. Despite best efforts with conventional amblyopia treatment, many older children and teenagers with amblyopia fail to achieve normal visual acuity in the amblyopic eye. In a previous PEDIG study (ATS3) where children 7 to 13 years old were treated with atropine and patching, only 36% of the children with moderate amblyopia and only 23% of the children with severe amblyopia achieved 20/40 or better acuity.

Conditions
Amblyopia
Being tested
levodopa/carbidopa, patching
Keywords
Amblyopia, Patching, Levodopa
Medical subject headings
Amblyopia

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • levodopa/carbidopaDrug

    Oral levodopa 0.76 mg/kg tid with carbidopa 0.17 mg/kg tid (approximately 4.5 to 1 formulation)

  • patchingDevice

    Also called Coverlet, 3M Opticlude, Ortopad®

    2 hours daily patching

  • levodopa/carbidopaDrug

    Oral levodopa 0.51mg/kg tid with carbidopa 0.17 mg/kg tid (3 to 1 formulation)

Study groups in NCT00789672
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Lower Dose (3-1) levodopa/carbidopaActive comparatorOral levodopa 0.51 mg/kg tid with carbidopa 0.17 mg/kg tid (3 to 1 formulation) combined with 2 hours of daily patching, with a rapid taper of medication before a primary outcome exam 9 weeks after starting medication.
Receives: Device: patching; Drug: levodopa/carbidopa
Higher Dose (4.5-1) levodopa/carbidopaActive comparatorOral levodopa 0.76 mg/kg tid with carbidopa 0.17 mg/kg tid (approximately 4.5 to 1 formulation) combined with 2 hours of daily patching, with a rapid taper of medication before a primary outcome exam 9 weeks after starting medication.
Receives: Drug: levodopa/carbidopa; Device: patching

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Distribution of Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 9 Weeks After Starting Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 being the best. Letter scores are presented as Snellen Equivalents for presentation (i.e. 20/20 includes those with letter scores between 83 and 87 letters, 20/25 includes those with letter scores between 78 to 82 letters, etc.).

    Measured: 9 weeks after starting levodopa

  2. Mean Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 9 Weeks After Starting Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 being the best.

    Measured: 9 weeks after starting levodopa

  3. Distribution of Change in Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Scores at 9 Weeks After Starting Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best. A difference was calculated as the difference in letters between baseline and outcome with positive difference indicating improvement in acuity.

    Measured: baseline to 9 weeks

  4. Mean Change in Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 9 Weeks After Starting Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best. A difference was calculated as the difference in letters between baseline and outcome with positive difference indicating improvement in acuity.

    Measured: baseline to 9 weeks

  5. Tolerability of Study Medication-Adverse Event Reporting

    Number of adverse events reported throughout entire study.

    Measured: 24 weeks

Secondary outcomes (8)
  1. Distribution of Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 4 Weeks After Enrollment

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best. Letter scores are presented as Snellen Equivalents for presentation (i.e. 20/20 includes those with letter scores between 83 and 87 letters, 20/25 includes those with letter scores between 78 to 82 letters, etc.).

    Measured: 4 weeks after enrollment

  2. Mean Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 4 Weeks Post Enrollment

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best.

    Measured: 4 weeks after enrollment

  3. Distribution of Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 10 Weeks After Stopping Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best. Letter scores are presented as Snellen Equivalents for presentation (i.e. 20/20 includes those with letter scores between 83 and 87 letters, 20/25 includes those with letter scores between 78 to 82 letters, etc.).

    Measured: 10 weeks after stopping levodopa

  4. Mean Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 10 Weeks After Stopping Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best.

    Measured: 10 weeks after stopping levodopa

  5. Distribution of Change in Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Scores at 4 Weeks Post Enrollment

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best. A difference was calculated as the difference in letters between baseline and outcome with positive difference indicating improvement in acuity.

    Measured: enrollment to 4 weeks

  6. Mean Change in Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 4 Weeks Post Enrollment

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best. A difference was calculated as the difference in letters between baseline and outcome with positive difference indicating improvement in acuity.

    Measured: enrollment to 4 weeks

  7. Distribution of Change in Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Scores at 10 Weeks After Stopping Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters. A difference was calculated as the difference in letters between baseline and outcome with positive difference indicating improvement in acuity.

    Measured: baseline to 10 weeks after stopping levodopa

  8. Mean Change in Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 10 Weeks After Stopping Levodopa

    Visual acuity was measured with the electronic early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (E-ETDRS) method and resulted in a letter score that could range from 0 to 97 letters, with 0 being the worst and 97 the best. A difference was calculated as the difference in letters between baseline and outcome with positive difference indicating improvement in acuity.

    Measured: baseline to 10 weeks after stopping levodopa

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted13 Nov 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2009
  3. Primary completionSep 2009
  4. Study completionDec 2009

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Triple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
33 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00789672
Sponsor's protocol ID
NEI-141
Other IDs
2U10EY011751
Acronym
ATS14
Status last verified
Jul 2016
First submitted
27 Oct 2008
Last updated
13 Jul 2016
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Repka MX, Kraker RT, Beck RW, Atkinson CS, Bacal DA, Bremer DL, Davis PL, Gearinger MD, Glaser SR, Hoover DL, Laby DM, Morrison DG, Rogers DL, Sala NA, Suh DW, Wheeler MB; Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group. Pilot study of levodopa dose as treatment for residual amblyopia in children aged 8 years to younger than 18 years. Arch Ophthalmol. 2010 Sep;128(9):1215-7. doi: 10.1001/archophthalmol.2010.178. No abstract available.

    PubMed 20837811

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing levodopa/carbidopa and patching in people with Amblyopia, run by Jaeb Center for Health Research at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 21 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Jul 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 23 Mar 2011). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Distribution of Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity Letter Scores at 9 Weeks After Starting Levodopa (time frame: 9 weeks after starting levodopa). The study lists 5 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00789672, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Jul 2016.

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