Ranibizumab (Lucentis) for treatment of Uveitic Macular Oedema (LIMO)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  An exploratory study of ranibizumab (Lucentis) for treatment of uveitic patients with refractory cystoid macular oedema. 'The LIMO study'

• IRAS ID

  41033

• Contact name

  Miss Narciss Okhravi

• Sponsor organisation

  Research and Development Manager, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

• Eudract number

  2011-001869-41

• ISRCTN Number

  n/a

• Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

  n/a

• Research summary

  Anti-VEGF treatments show great promise in the treatment of a variety of diseases. This study addresses a condition which affects a large number of our patients in whom we face difficult management decisions. These young uveitic patients are severely disabled with visual loss related to cystoid macular oedema (CMO) and few options remain when standard treatment has either failed or is contraindicated. Currently uveitis specialists are forced to resort to more and more extreme measures with ever more toxic therapies (which primarily treat inflammation) in the hope of reducing the central swelling of the retina (which is still occurring in the eye after the inflammation has been controlled). Prolonged swelling such as this leads to irreversible loss of function and permanent loss of vision in the very centre of the retina (the macula). This is the area most important for visual function including reading and recognising faces.The plan for this study is to recruit 20 patients at Moorfields Eye Hospital, with controlled intraocular inflammation but with residual macular swelling reducing visual function. Each patient will be treated (no control arm exists) and follow-up is for 12 months. This study is sponsored by Moorfields NHSFT and funded by Novartis Global. A detailed and comprehensive series of tests are planned for each patient, over 15 visits, in order to document changes to visual function and quality of life, post treatment with ranibizumab, all the time ensuring the safety of this therapy.It is hoped that anti-VEGF therapy will be associated with fewer side-effects and be more effective in reducing macular thickening and improving visual function and thereby quality of life in these patients in whom very few options remain.

• REC name

  London - Brent Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  11/LO/0978

• Date of REC Opinion

  3 Aug 2011

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion