Recruiting

Electrical Stimulation

Sponsor:

Stanford University

Code:

NCT05626426

Conditions

Glaucoma

Glaucoma, Open-Angle

Optic Nerve Diseases

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Repetitive, Transorbital Alternating Current Stimulation (rtACS)

Study Details

Brief summary:

The overall aim of this study is to see whether long-term electrical stimulation with a home-stimulation device works well and is safe for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. Open-Angle Glaucoma is a disease where the nerves in the back of your eye die off faster than expected regardless of your eye pressure.

Conditions

Glaucoma

Glaucoma, Open-Angle

Optic Nerve Diseases

Study ID

NCT05626426

Start date

Feb 27, 2023

Status verified date

Jul, 2025

Completion date

Dec, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Dec, 2026

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Participant must be at least 18.
2. Participant must has the ability to comply with the requirements of the study and complete the schedule of events (SOE).
3. Participant's clinical diagnosis must be consistent with glaucoma characterized by the following features: Mean deviation (MD) worse than -3 on Humphrey Visual Field 24-2 testing. Reliable visual field measures, fixation losses do not exceed 20% and false postivies do not exeed 20%.
4. In the opinion of the investigator the participant's eye pressure must be clinically stable.
5. If a participant has two eyes meeting study criteria, the worse eye as determined by mean deviation. If both eyes qualify and have the same MD, the patient may choose which eye they are willing to enter, or else a randomization procedure will assign one eye to the study.
6. Participant must understand and sign the informed consent. If the participant's vision is impaired to the point where he/she cannot read the informed consent document, the document will be read to the participant in its entirety.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Participant is unable to comply with study procedures or follow-up visits.
2. Participant has a history of ocular herpes zoster.
3. Participant has pathological nystagmus
4. Participant has evidence of visually significant retinopathy including but not limited to Diabetic retinopathy or retinitis pigmentosa.
5. Participant has evidence of corneal opacification or lack of optical clarity.
6. Participant has uveitis or other ocular inflammatory disease.
7. Participant has any electric or electroinc implants such as a pacemaker.
8. Participant has acute conjunctivitis.
9. Participant has acute autoimmune disease.
10. Participant is pregnant or lactating.
11. Participant has, in the opinion of the investigator, any physical or mental condition that would increase the risk of participation in the study or may interfere with the study procedures, evaluations and outcome assessments. Including but not limited to all forms of dementia.
12. Unresected brain tumors
13. Implanted intracranial magnetic metals (metallic implants in the head / skull such as clamps, coils, ventriculo-peritoneal shunts, endoprostheses, etc.), which are not MRI-compatible. Note: metallic dental implants and titanium screws or plates are acceptable
14. Patients with any skin damage.
15. Children and comatose patients.
16. Patients with history of epileptic seizure within the last 10 years.
17. Patients with uncontrolled systemic hypertension or uncontrolled diabetes.
18. Participant is not able to travel, to comply with the requirements of the study or not willing to complete the schedule of events (SOE) and/or unable to confirm follow-up participation
19. Prior participation in a vision training/stimulation study in the last 12 months

Study Design

Enrollment

40 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Active SASm

Patients will receive active treatment with the device every other day over 8 weeks.

Interventions

Repetitive, Transorbital Alternating Current Stimulation (rtACS)

Patients receive treatment every other day via a headband that delivers electrical stimulation to the retina

Primary outcome measure

  • Change from baseline in visual field assessed by Humphrey Visual Field Index (VFI). [ Time Frame: Baseline through 6 months ]
  • Change from baseline in visual field assessed by Humphrey Mean Deviation (MD). [ Time Frame: Baseline through 6 months ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Locations

Byers Eye Institute

Recruiting

Palo Alto, California, United States, 94303

Contacts

More Information

Sponsor

Stanford University

Last update posted

Jul 8, 2025

Last verified

Jul, 2025

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Stanford University on 2025-07-08.