Macular Pigment Measurements in Eye & Other Tissues

N/AEnrolling By InvitationNCT03022773

University of Utah10,000 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study is to understand the role of nutrition and its effects on the eye and other tissues. The investigators propose to study this by validating and correlating various non-invasive measurement methods of carotenoid concentrations in the human eye and skin tissue. A secondary objective is to correlate blood levels of carotenoids on a sub-set of participants.

The macula of the human retina (the structure responsible for high acuity vision essential for reading, driving and recognizing faces) is colored an intense yellow due to the deposition of two carotenoid compounds, lutein and zeaxanthin. These xanthophyll carotenoids are derived exclusively from the diet, and are hypothesized to protect the macula from light-induced oxidative damage by virtue of their light-screening and antioxidant properties. Epidemiological studies have shown that high dietary intake and blood levels of lutein and zeaxanthin are associated with lower rates of vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is of interest to correlate carotenoid levels in the eye and skin tissues with blood levels of carotenoid compounds.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

10,000

Conditions

Macular Pigmentation Skin Pigment

Interventions

Carotenoid measurementsOTHER

Carotenoid measurements of the eye (macula) are obtained through non-invasive ophthalmic photographs using the Heidelberg Spectralis imaging system. Carotenoid measurements of the skin are measured by a laboratory instrument that uses a painless blue laser light for exposure of the skin and a photodetector for scattered light. Carotenoid measurements in the blood are obtained through routine venipuncture.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 7 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Any patient age 7 or older, undergoing routine dilated ophthalmology examinations at the Moran Eye Center will be eligible to participate. * Patients with adult vitelliform dystrophy. (This condition initially presents in adulthood as bilateral subtle and often asymptomatic macular lesions, which are often misdiagnosed as early age-related macular degeneration (AMD)). Exclusion Criteria: * Patients under age 7 will not be eligible to participate.

Locations (1)

University of Utah John A. Moran Eye Center

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Carotenoid levels in the eye

all study procedures are generally completed in a single study visit

Time frame: at enrollment

Carotenoid levels in the skin

all study procedures are generally completed in a single study visit

Time frame: at enrollment

Secondary Outcomes

Carotenoid levels in the blood

all study procedures are generally completed in a single study visit

Time frame: at enrollment

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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