Clinical Studies Currently Recruiting Patients

The National Eye Institute supports studies conducted at the Clinical Center on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda, Maryland and at vision research centers nationwide.

Studies Conducted on the NIH Campus

Please visit the NIH Clinical Research Studies database for complete descriptions and contact information for studies currently recruiting patients at the NIH Clinical Center.

You may also contact the Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison Office (PRPL) of the NIH Clinical Center at 1-800-411-1222. PRPL staff will refer physicians to the appropriate NIH contact person who can provide more details about the individual studies and the criteria for patient referral.

Studies Conducted Nationwide

The studies listed below are being conducted at research centers around the country that are looking for patient volunteers.

• Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error (CLEERE) Study, The
  
  Purpose: To study eye development in Hispanic, African American, and Asian schoolchildren as compared to Caucasian children. To investigate risk factors for the development of myopia (nearsightedness). To conduct genetic studies on nearsighted children and their families. Currently Recruiting: Children enrolled in the first-grade in selected schools in Eutaw, Alabama; Houston, Texas; and Irvine, California in the 1999-00 academic year.
  
  Study Chair: Karla Zadnik, O.D., Ph.D., (614) 292-6603; e-mail: zadnik.4@osu.edu

• Studies of Ocular Complications of AIDS (SOCA)--Longitudinal Study of Ocular Complications of AIDS (LSOCA)
  
  Purpose: To monitor trends in the incidence of CMV retinitis and other ocular complications of AIDS. To determine the effect of HAART-induced immune status on the risk of developing CMV retinitis and other ocular complications of AIDS. To determine the characteristics of a population at high risk for CMV retinitis and other ocular complications of AIDS. To evaluate the effects of treatments for CMV retinitis and other ocular complications on visual function, quality of life, and survival.
  
  Patients Eligibility: Males and females age 13 years and older with diagnosis of AIDS will be eligible.
  
  Study Chair: Douglas A. Jabs, M.D., M.S., (410) 955-1966

• Vision In Preschoolers Study (VIP Study)
  
  Purpose: To identify vision-screening tests that can accurately predict those three- and four-year old preschoolers who would benefit from a comprehensive vision examination because of signs of amblyopia, strabismus, and/or significant refractive error.
  
  Currently Recruiting: Children enrolled in Head Start who are between the ages of 3 years 0 months and 4 years 11 months of age.
  
  Study Chair: Paulette P. Schmidt, O.D., M.S, (614) 292-3189; pschmidt@optometry.ohio-state.edu