Current Vision Studies
Term-born children, ages 10-18 years old
Study 1: Assessment of Photopic Retinal Function with Multi-focal Electroretinography (mfERG)
In this study, we are investigating vision in children who had mild, moderate or severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) when they were infants. Recent studies have shown that some people who had ROP as infants, even if the ROP was mild and resolved completely without treatment, have small alterations in the function of their retina. These changes may explain why many of them become nearsighted or have vision problems later in life. We will use the multifocal ERG (mfERG) to study the function of the central retina in subjects who had ROP.
The study will involve one visit, in which your child will have his/her visual acuity tested by reading a letter chart.
We will then use an autorefractor to measure your child's need for corrective lenses. Following this, an ophthalmologist will briefly examine your child's eyes. We will then take a few pictures of his/her eyes using Optical Coherence Tomography and Fundus Photography. All of these preliminary components are typical of a clinical visit. We will then begin the multi-focal electroretinogram (mfERG).
Dilating drops, like those used routinely for eye exams, will be administered to enlarge the pupils. After the pupil has dilated, which takes about 30 minutes, anesthetic drops will be placed in one eye and a contact lens electrode placed on the surface of that eye. The subject will view a video screen and the retinal responses to flickering patches of light will be recorded.
Risks involved in this study are the momentary discomfort of dilating drops and the drops used to anesthetize the eye, an unlikely allergy to the drops, and the possibility of scraping (abrading) the surface of the eye with the contact electrode. With the precautions that we take, the risk of abrasion is very low, and none of the participants in our prior ERG research studies have had a corneal abrasion. If an abrasion develops, we will treat it promptly and follow up until it is resolved. Also, your child’s eyes will be sensitive to light and his/her vision will be blurry for a few hours.
Participation in this research will be of no direct benefit to your child, but we hope that the data obtained will lead to a better understanding of vision in children who had ROP as infants.
The entire session is expected to take less than 2 hours. The actual mfERG recording time is about 20-30 minutes. To thank you for your time, we will provide your child with a token payment and a parking voucher for the Boston Children's Hospital garage.
To see if your child qualifies for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.
In this study, we are investigating vision in children who had mild, moderate or severe retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) when they were infants. Recent studies have shown that some people who had ROP as infants, even if the ROP was mild and resolved completely without treatment, have small alterations in the function of their retina. These changes may explain why many of them become nearsighted or have vision problems later in life. We will use the multifocal ERG (mfERG) to study the function of the central retina in subjects who had ROP.
The study will involve one visit, in which your child will have his/her visual acuity tested by reading a letter chart.
We will then use an autorefractor to measure your child's need for corrective lenses. Following this, an ophthalmologist will briefly examine your child's eyes. We will then take a few pictures of his/her eyes using Optical Coherence Tomography and Fundus Photography. All of these preliminary components are typical of a clinical visit. We will then begin the multi-focal electroretinogram (mfERG).
Dilating drops, like those used routinely for eye exams, will be administered to enlarge the pupils. After the pupil has dilated, which takes about 30 minutes, anesthetic drops will be placed in one eye and a contact lens electrode placed on the surface of that eye. The subject will view a video screen and the retinal responses to flickering patches of light will be recorded.
Risks involved in this study are the momentary discomfort of dilating drops and the drops used to anesthetize the eye, an unlikely allergy to the drops, and the possibility of scraping (abrading) the surface of the eye with the contact electrode. With the precautions that we take, the risk of abrasion is very low, and none of the participants in our prior ERG research studies have had a corneal abrasion. If an abrasion develops, we will treat it promptly and follow up until it is resolved. Also, your child’s eyes will be sensitive to light and his/her vision will be blurry for a few hours.
Participation in this research will be of no direct benefit to your child, but we hope that the data obtained will lead to a better understanding of vision in children who had ROP as infants.
The entire session is expected to take less than 2 hours. The actual mfERG recording time is about 20-30 minutes. To thank you for your time, we will provide your child with a token payment and a parking voucher for the Boston Children's Hospital garage.
To see if your child qualifies for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.
Study 2: Retinal Imaging of Ocular Conditions
For this study, we are using optical scans to generate highly detailed images of the retina. The retina is the thin tissue in the back of the eye.
Our previous research has indicated that some individuals with a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) have alterations in retinal function and anatomy compared to individuals born at term.
The study visit will begin by testing your child's visual acuity by reading a letter chart. We would then use an autorefractor to measure your child's need for corrective lenses. Following this, an ophthalmologist will briefly examine your child's eyes. We will then take a few pictures of his/her eyes using Optical Coherence Tomography and Fundus Photography. All of these preliminary components are typical of a clinical visit.
Dilating drops, like those used routinely for eye exams, will be administered to enlarge the pupils. After the pupil has dilated, which takes about 30 minutes, we will begin the main portion of the study. We will take a series of retinal scans of your child's eyes while he/she sits and looks at a fixation target. During the retinal imaging, it is important to sustain attention and keep the eyes still, but your child can take periodic breaks. The scans are completely non-invasive and nothing touches the eyes.
Risks involved in this study are the momentary discomfort of dilating drops and unlikely allergy to the drops. Also, your child’s eyes will be sensitive to light and his/her vision will be blurry for a few hours.
All research procedures are typically completed in one session of 2-3 hours, but we may request a follow up visit of 1-2 hours. To thank you for your time, for each session we will provide your child with a token payment and a parking voucher for the Boston Children's Hospital garage.
Participation in this research will be of no direct benefit to your child, but we hope that the data obtained will lead to a better understanding of vision in children who had ROP as infants.
To see if your child qualifies for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.
For this study, we are using optical scans to generate highly detailed images of the retina. The retina is the thin tissue in the back of the eye.
Our previous research has indicated that some individuals with a history of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) have alterations in retinal function and anatomy compared to individuals born at term.
The study visit will begin by testing your child's visual acuity by reading a letter chart. We would then use an autorefractor to measure your child's need for corrective lenses. Following this, an ophthalmologist will briefly examine your child's eyes. We will then take a few pictures of his/her eyes using Optical Coherence Tomography and Fundus Photography. All of these preliminary components are typical of a clinical visit.
Dilating drops, like those used routinely for eye exams, will be administered to enlarge the pupils. After the pupil has dilated, which takes about 30 minutes, we will begin the main portion of the study. We will take a series of retinal scans of your child's eyes while he/she sits and looks at a fixation target. During the retinal imaging, it is important to sustain attention and keep the eyes still, but your child can take periodic breaks. The scans are completely non-invasive and nothing touches the eyes.
Risks involved in this study are the momentary discomfort of dilating drops and unlikely allergy to the drops. Also, your child’s eyes will be sensitive to light and his/her vision will be blurry for a few hours.
All research procedures are typically completed in one session of 2-3 hours, but we may request a follow up visit of 1-2 hours. To thank you for your time, for each session we will provide your child with a token payment and a parking voucher for the Boston Children's Hospital garage.
Participation in this research will be of no direct benefit to your child, but we hope that the data obtained will lead to a better understanding of vision in children who had ROP as infants.
To see if your child qualifies for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.
Study 3: Whole Eye Biometry System
The purpose of this research protocol is to test a whole eye biometry system (WEBS). The WEBS instrument enables rapid and accurate measurement of ocular anatomy and pathology, from cornea, sclera and crystalline lens in the anterior segment to retina spanning the large posterior part of the globe.
Prior to the WEBS imaging, we will utilize several standard clinical instruments that are available in the Boston Children’s Hospital ophthalmology department in order to obtain a baseline assessment of the subject’s vision and to obtain validation measurements that we will use to compare to measurements we obtain from the WEBS instrument.
Participation involves measurement of visual acuity (reading letters), measurement of refractive error (glasses prescription), eye examination, photographs of the back of your eye, and a series of retinal scans. The scans are completely non-invasive; nothing touches the eye.
An average research session will be approximately 120 minutes, with no more than 60 minutes spent on the WEBS instrument. For each session, you will receive $25. All testing takes place at Boston Children’s Hospital, located at 300 Longwood Avenue in Boston. We will provide you with a voucher for free parking in the Boston Children’s Hospital garage located across the street.
To see if you qualify for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.
The purpose of this research protocol is to test a whole eye biometry system (WEBS). The WEBS instrument enables rapid and accurate measurement of ocular anatomy and pathology, from cornea, sclera and crystalline lens in the anterior segment to retina spanning the large posterior part of the globe.
Prior to the WEBS imaging, we will utilize several standard clinical instruments that are available in the Boston Children’s Hospital ophthalmology department in order to obtain a baseline assessment of the subject’s vision and to obtain validation measurements that we will use to compare to measurements we obtain from the WEBS instrument.
Participation involves measurement of visual acuity (reading letters), measurement of refractive error (glasses prescription), eye examination, photographs of the back of your eye, and a series of retinal scans. The scans are completely non-invasive; nothing touches the eye.
An average research session will be approximately 120 minutes, with no more than 60 minutes spent on the WEBS instrument. For each session, you will receive $25. All testing takes place at Boston Children’s Hospital, located at 300 Longwood Avenue in Boston. We will provide you with a voucher for free parking in the Boston Children’s Hospital garage located across the street.
To see if you qualify for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.
Study 4: Dark Adaptation
Many children born prematurely develop retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disease that affects the retina. We are exploring the structural and functional outcomes in the eyes of children born early. Specifically in this study we are testing the way that the retina functions in dim light. In this experiment, you/your child will be tested to see the sensitivity of their night vision in terms of their speed of recovery and threshold limit.
You/your child will first be put in a dark room for 30 minutes to get adjusted to the dark. Then you/your child will be instructed to look in the ColorDome apparatus through a mask where you/your child will see a series of red/blue flashes of light. A clicker will be provided to record the response. This will proceed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, we will take a short break. After the break, the mask will be removed and you/your child will be instructed to look again at the ColorDome apparatus. A white background will be presented and you/your child will be asked to look into the white background for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the mask will be placed back on the ColorDome apparatus and you/your child will repeat the initial experiment conditions. The second part will take about 30 minutes. No drops will be administered and nothing will come in contact with the eye.
To see if you qualify for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.
Many children born prematurely develop retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a disease that affects the retina. We are exploring the structural and functional outcomes in the eyes of children born early. Specifically in this study we are testing the way that the retina functions in dim light. In this experiment, you/your child will be tested to see the sensitivity of their night vision in terms of their speed of recovery and threshold limit.
You/your child will first be put in a dark room for 30 minutes to get adjusted to the dark. Then you/your child will be instructed to look in the ColorDome apparatus through a mask where you/your child will see a series of red/blue flashes of light. A clicker will be provided to record the response. This will proceed for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, we will take a short break. After the break, the mask will be removed and you/your child will be instructed to look again at the ColorDome apparatus. A white background will be presented and you/your child will be asked to look into the white background for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the mask will be placed back on the ColorDome apparatus and you/your child will repeat the initial experiment conditions. The second part will take about 30 minutes. No drops will be administered and nothing will come in contact with the eye.
To see if you qualify for this study or to find out more information, please contact us.