Recruiting
Phase 3

CXL

Sponsor:

Woolfson Eye Institute

Code:

NCT07124910

Conditions

Keratoconus

Ectasia of Cornea

Pellucid Marginal Corneal Degeneration

Forme Fruste Keratoconus (FFK)

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 8+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Epi-ON corneal cross-linking

Study Details

Brief summary:

The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effects of an experimental (not Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved) treatment called corneal crosslinking (CXL) for conditions in which the cornea becomes progressively thin, steep, and misshapen, causing vision to be blurred.

CXL is performed by putting riboflavin (vitamin B2) drops onto the eye and then exposing it to ultraviolet (UVA) light at about the same intensity as you get outdoors on a bright, sunny day. It is designed to stop the progression of disease by strengthening the cornea. Study participants will be at least 8 years of age or older and have a diagnosis of keratoconus, ectasia after LASIK, ectasia after PRK, pellucid marginal degeneration, progressive ectasia after previous CXL treatment or forme fruste keratoconus.

The main question it aims to answer is:

  • Does CXL help prevent or slow the progression of someone's corneal condition and vision loss?

Participants will:

  • Attend up to a total of 7 in office visits over the course of 6 months, where several eye and vision tests will be given.

Receive CXL (applying riboflavin (Vitamin B2 eye drops) to the eye, then exposing the eye to ultraviolet (UV-A) light).

  • There will be two groups of participants. One group will receive the UVA treatment for 18 minutes and the other group will receive the UVA treatment for 24 minutes.

Conditions

Keratoconus

Ectasia of Cornea

Pellucid Marginal Corneal Degeneration

Forme Fruste Keratoconus (FFK)

Study ID

NCT07124910

Start date

Aug 1, 2025

Status verified date

Jan, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Nov, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 8+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects in whom both the subject and study eye meet all of the following criteria are candidates for the study:

1. Be at least 8 years of age or older, male or female, of any race.
2. Have a diagnosis of keratoconus, ectasia after LASIK, ectasia after PRK, pellucid marginal degeneration, progressive ectasia after previous CXL treatment or forme fruste keratoconus based on topography, tomography, and slit lamp examination.
3. Provide written informed consent and a signed HIPAA form. Pediatric subjects less than 14 years of age must sign an assent, and a parent or legal guardian must sign an informed consent.
4. Be willing and able to follow all instructions and comply with the schedule for follow-up visits.
5. If female and capable of becoming pregnant, must not be lactating or pregnant and must agree to use a medically acceptable form of birth control for at least one week prior to the treatment visit and to continue one month following treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects in whom the subject or study eye meets one or more of the following criteria will be excluded from the randomized cohort of the study:

1. Normal corneal topography.
2. A history of previous corneal transplant in the study eye.
3. Minimum corneal thickness < 300 (measured by Pentacam and Ultrasound) at the screening exam.
4. Previous ocular condition (other than refractive error) in the eye(s) to be treated that may predispose the eye to future complications or prevent the possibility of improved vision, for example:

1. History of or active corneal disease (e.g., herpes simplex, herpes zoster keratitis, etc.)
2. Clinically significant corneal scarring in the central cornea that, in the investigator's opinion, will not allow the subject to achieve functional vision, even with contact lens correction, after the crosslinking procedure.
5. A known contraindication, sensitivity, or allergy to the test article or its components or to study medications.
6. Nystagmus or any other condition that would prevent a steady gaze during the crosslinking treatment or other diagnostic tests.
7. If female, pregnant, nursing or planning a pregnancy, or having a positive urine pregnancy test prior to the randomization of, or treatment of either eye during the course of the study.
8. Inability to remove soft or scleral contact lenses at least 3 days before initial and follow-up examinations.
9. Inability to remove rigid gas-permeable contact lenses at least 2 weeks before initial and follow-up examinations.
10. Inability to return for required postoperative examinations.
11. Presence or history or any other condition or finding that, in the investigator's opinion, makes the subject unsuitable as a candidate for crosslinking or study participation or may confound the outcome of the study.

Study Design

Enrollment

485 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Parallel Assignment

Primary purpose

Treatment

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: UVA 18 minute

Subjects who meet the inclusion criteria and provide informed consent will be randomized to receive UVA irradiation with 15-second off-on cycling for either 18 minutes or 24 minutes

experimental: UVA 24 minute

Subjects who meet the inclusion criteria and provide informed consent will be randomized to receive UVA irradiation with 15-second off-on cycling for either 18 minutes or 24 minutes

Interventions

Epi-ON corneal cross-linking

Corneal cross-linking involves the following steps:

  • applying riboflavin (Vitamin B2 eye drops) to the eye, then
  • exposing the eye to ultraviolet (UV-A) light

Primary outcome measure

  • The primary outcome measures for efficacy is corneal curvature, as measured by Kmax with the Pentacam, in the treated eyes and CDVA. [ Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of treatment at 6 months. ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30328

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30349

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Canton, Georgia, United States, 30114

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Cumming, Georgia, United States, 30041

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Douglasville, Georgia, United States, 30134

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Lawrenceville, Georgia, United States, 30043

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Marietta, Georgia, United States, 30066

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Snellville, Georgia, United States, 30078

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Asheville, North Carolina, United States, 28803

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States, 37421

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Johnson City, Tennessee, United States, 37615

Contacts

Woolfson Eye Institute

Recruiting

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, 37922

Contacts

More Information

Sponsor

Woolfson Eye Institute

Last update posted

Feb 2, 2026

Last verified

Jan, 2026

Keywords

  • crosslinking
  • corneal
  • Epi-ON
  • UVA

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by Woolfson Eye Institute on 2026-02-02.