Efficacy of lenses in abolishing photoparoxysmal responses_V3.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Efficacy of new lenses in abolishing photoparoxysmal responses in paediatric patients with photosensitive epilepsy (PSE)
IRAS ID
266497
Contact name
Sukhvir Wright
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Aston University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 1 days
Research summary
Seizures in photosensitive epilepsy (PSE) happen only or mostly when people affected look at intense flashing lights or specific visual patterns. We diagnose PSE by recording abnormalities in the electrical activity of the brain during a test called electroencephalogram (EEG) while patients are exposed to these visual stimuli. Red colour is one of the most provocative triggers for seizures in these individuals. Most patients improve with antiepileptic drugs, but these can cause important undesired effects. For this reason, lenses that filter out red light may represent an additional treatment option. The lens Zeiss Clarlet Z1 has proven beneficial by dramatically reducing the amount of red light that reaches the eye. However, it has some disadvantages: 1) it is very dark and impractical in regions with few sunlight hours, like northern countries; 2) as it almost blocks the entrance of red light, it mainly exposes the eye to the other colours that compose the visible light, particularly to the blue colour. This exposure might be harmful in the long term. To address these issues, at Aston University we want to test four new lenses that allow more practical viewing conditions with potentially better usability profile and still protect against red colour. Our aim is to study if their efficacy to reduce the abnormalities in brain activity caused by flashing lights/patterns in children and teenagers with PSE is not inferior to Z1. If this was the case, they could become a safer and more tolerable therapeutic choice, which could be used alongside or even replace medication in some cases. To achieve our aim, we will compare the reduction produced on these abnormalities in brain activity between our lenses and Z1 in the same session in those patients referred to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Neurophysiology department for an EEG with light/pattern stimulation.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/EM/0030
Date of REC Opinion
15 Apr 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion