Colour Contrast Sensitivity for the Early Detection of ARMD (CEDAR)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of multiple assessment modalities for the detection and characteristion of the preclinical, pre-symptomatic stage of neovascular age-related macular degeneration
IRAS ID
144071
Contact name
Antonio Calcagni
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aston University
Research summary
Neovascular or wet age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a retinal disease and is the leading cause of sight loss in the over 50s; it constitutes a major public health problem which will have an increasingly large impact as the population ages, because sight loss has been associated with loss of independence, depression, social isolation, and falls. Recent advances in medicine, and in particular the approval by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for use of ranibizumab (Lucentis) in wet ARMD, have allowed this condition to be treated; however success is more likely when treatments occur at a very early stage.
Unfortunately the early stages of wet ARMD do not cause symptoms and most cases are diagnosed when irreversible retinal damage has already occurred.
In all stages of ARMD, even when no symptoms are present and currently used non-invasive techniques in routine clinical practice are not sufficiently sensitive to identify abnormalities, retinal function and possibly anatomy are abnormal. This study will evaluate techniques that may be useful in flagging subjects with the “pre-clinical” stages of the disease. This may allow early preventative measures to be taken, in order to stop altogether the onset of blindness.
The study will focus mainly on colour contrast sensitivity, a simple but highly sensitive technique to assess retinal function, to establish if people with wet ARMD can be identified before symptoms develop. Other assessment modalities, evaluating either structure or function of the retina, will also be employed in selected individuals to establish if they may be used in the routine clinic; however it is already known that these modalities are not suitable for all individuals as they are more demanding time-wise and concentration-wise and therefore not universally suitable.REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/WM/0035
Date of REC Opinion
10 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion