Recruiting

Early Phase 1

Visual PerturbationsIntermittent Visual Perturbations to Enhance Balance Training

Sponsor:

University of Florida

Code:

NCT06804512

Conditions

Balance

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Visual Occlusion Goggles

Balance Beam Walking

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this research study is to determine if intermittent visual perturbations can improve balance training. The investigators will quantify differences in body movement, muscle activity, and beam walking performance during and after practice walking on a balance beam that is 1" high. The investigators will ask the participants to come to the laboratory twice (2 sessions). The first session will not last more than 3 hours. The second session will not last more than 1 hour and will be two weeks after the first session. In total, the maximum amount of time the participant would be asked to participate is 4 hours.

Conditions

Balance

Study ID

NCT06804512

Start date

Aug 20, 2024

Status verified date

Feb, 2026

Completion date

Feb 28, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Feb 28, 2029

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Ages 18-30 years, or 65-89 years.
Ability to walk independently for 10 minutes continuously.
Willingness to be randomized to any experimental group and to participate in all aspects of study assessment and intervention

Exclusion Criteria:

-Major cognitive disorder that interferes with independence, based on affirmative response (always/usually/sometimes) to the following question: "As a result of confusion or memory loss, how often do you need assistance with day-to-day activities such as cooking, cleaning, taking medications, driving, or paying bills? Would you say it is 1) Always; 2) Usually; 3) Sometimes; 4) Rarely; or 5) Never".

Current or recent (within 6 months) lower limb musculoskeletal injury that causes pain during walking or limits walking ability.
History of neurological injury or disability (including spinal cord injury, stroke, Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis).
Difficulty communicating with study personnel.
Current enrollment in any other clinical trial.
Low vision that cannot be corrected by wearing contact lens. Low vision will be operationally defined as visual acuity less than 20/70 on standard eye chart, or difficulty perform complex walking tasks due to visual conditions affecting accurate navigation around and over obstacles (self-reported or observed by examiner). The goggles to be used in the study do not permit eyeglasses while using them.
Illiterate or non-English speaking, due to the likelihood of difficulties following protocol instructions.

Study Design

Enrollment

540 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

placebo comparator: Control - No Goggles

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice without any changes to vision.

experimental: Intervention - Goggles Worn But Turned Off

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice while wearing the goggles, but they will not be turned on.

experimental: Intervention - Vision for 3.75s and Occlusion for 1.5s

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice while wearing the goggles. Vision time will be set to 3.75s, and the occlusion time will be set to 1.5s for the duration of the practice time.

experimental: Intervention - Vision for 7.5s and Occlusion for 0.75s

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice while wearing the goggles. Vision time will be set to 7.5s, and the occlusion time will be set to 0.75s for the duration of the practice time.

experimental: Intervention - Vision for 7.5s and Occlusion for 1.5s

experimental: Intervention - Vision for 7.5s and Occlusion for 3s

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice while wearing the goggles. Vision time will be set to 7.5s, and the occlusion time will be set to 3s for the duration of the practice time.

experimental: Intervention - Vision for 15s and Occlusion for 1.5s

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice while wearing the goggles. Vision time will be set to 15s, and the occlusion time will be set to 1.5s for the duration of the practice time.

experimental: Intervention - Low Visible Light Transmission

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice while wearing the goggles. Vision time will be set to 7.5s, and the occlusion time will be set to 1.5s for the duration of the practice time. The visible light transmission will be set to a low value around 20% instead of total blackout for the occlusion time.

experimental: Intervention - High Visible Light Transmission

Participants will complete the balance beam walking practice while wearing the goggles. Vision time will be set to 7.5s, and the occlusion time will be set to 1.5s for the duration of the practice time. The visible light transmission will be set to a high value around 90% instead of total blackout for the occlusion time.

Interventions

Visual Occlusion Goggles

The visual occlusion goggles alternate between sight and visual occlusion in a regular and programmable pattern. Based on the electrical properties of the goggles, they are also able to have the tint adjusted instead of blacking out entirely for the occlusion times during the programmed timings.

Balance Beam Walking

Participants will walk on a treadmill mounted balance beam to assess their balance

Primary outcome measure

Balance Changes Between Pre and Post-Tests [ Time Frame: Each subject completes the study in two weeks ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Daniel P Ferris, Ph.D.

734-834-0379 dferris@bme.ufl.edu

Ethan T Swierski, B.S.

716-399-7761 eswierski@ufl.edu

Locations

The University of Florida

Recruiting

Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32611

Contacts

Daniel P Ferris, Ph.D.

734-834-0379 dferris@bme.ufl.edu

Ethan T Swierski, B.S.

716-399-7761 eswierski@ufl.edu

Principal Investigator:

Daniel P Ferris, Ph.D.

More Information

Sponsor

University of Florida

Last update posted

Feb 10, 2026

Last verified

Feb, 2026

Keywords

walking balance
gait

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Florida on 2026-02-10.