Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)
Conditions
Brief summary
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe visual impairment in the UK, Europe and N America. Low vision patients with AMD have great difficulty reading, which leads to a loss of independence and reduced quality of life. Magnifiers alone do not compensate for loss of central vision in AMD. It has been proposed that special low vision training can improve reading ability in patients with AMD. Training programmes are widely available in the US and Scandinavia, but not in the UK, partly because there is a lack of evidence from Randomised Control Trials (RCT) showing that they are effective. The investigators are conducting a clinical trial comparing the conventional hospital-based low vision service to enhanced rehabilitation programmes that include Eccentric Viewing training. Eccentric viewing training involves teaching patients who have lost their central vision to use a new area of retina for visual tasks. Patients are either taught to improve the use of the part of the retina they naturally start using after their central vision is lost, their so-called preferred retinal locus (PRL), or, alternatively, they are taught to use a different retinal area that is thought to be better suited for everyday visual tasks, the so-called trained retinal locus (TRL). The investigators plan to compare the two types of eccentric viewing training to conventional hospital-based low vision care.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALSupervised Reading
Participant attends once a week for three weeks for a 45 minute appointment of supervised reading using appropriate spectacles and/or glasses
BEHAVIORALEVT at the PRL
Eccentric viewing training at the Preferred Retinal Locus (PRL), using reading/target cards. Three 45 minute sessions completed over three weeks.
BEHAVIORALEVT at the TRL
Participant attends once a week for three weeks for a 45 minute appointment of TRL training using the MAIA microperimeter and then further reading using magnifiers and/or spectacles.
Sponsors
British Eye Research Foundation, operating as Fight for Sight
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration * Visual acuity 6/12 to 3/60 inclusive in the better eye * Dense central scotoma confirmed by microperimetry
Exclusion criteria
* Patients who are not fluent in English or are cognitively impaired * Patients with serious hearing impairment * Patients who are hospital inpatients, who are living in nursing homes or are otherwise non-independent * Ocular co-morbidity (other than mild cataract) in the better eye * Recent low vision assessment or eccentric viewing training
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Score on the Massof Activity Inventory - 6 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Massof Activity Inventory at 6 month follow up |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Quality of Life (MacDQoL) - Final Assessment | Change from Baseline in Quality of Life (MacDQoL) at Final Assessment |
| Quality of Life (MacDQoL) - 6 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Quality of Life (MacDQoL) at 6 month follow up |
| Quality of Life (MacDQoL) - 12 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Quality of Life (MacDQol) at 12 month follow up |
| Self-reported health status (EQ-5D) - Final Assessment | Change from Baseline in EQ-5D score at Final Assessment |
| Self-reported health status (EQ-5D) - 6 month follow up | Change from Baseline in EQ-5D score at 6 month follow up |
| Self-reported health status (EQ-5D) - 12 month follow up | Change from Baseline in EQ-5D score at 12 month follow up |
| Time Trade Off (TTO) - 6 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Time Trade Off (TTO) score at 6 month follow up |
| WHO (Five) Well-Being Index (WBI-5) - Final Assessment | Change from Baseline in WBI-5 score at Final Assessment |
| WHO (Five) Well-Being Index (WBI-5) - 6 month follow up | Change from Baseline in WBI-5 score at 6 month follow up |
| Reading Speed (ReST) - Final Assessment | Change from Baseline in Reading Speed (ReST) at Final Assessment |
| Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) - Final Assessment | Change from Baseline in Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) at Final Assessment |
| Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) - 6 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) at 6 month follow up |
| Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) - 12 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) at 12 month follow up |
| Acceptance and Self Worth Adjustment Scale (AS-WAS) - Final Assessment | Change from Baseline in Acceptance and Self Worth Adjustment Scale (AS-WAS) at Final Assessment |
| Acceptance and Self Worth Adjustment Scale (AS-WAS) - 6 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Acceptance and Self Worth Adjustment Scale (AS-WAS) at 6 month follow up |
| Acceptance and Self Worth Adjustment Scale (AS-WAS) - 12 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Acceptance and Self Worth Adjustment Scale (AS-WAS) at 12 month follow up |
| Massof Activity Inventory - Final Assessment | Change from Baseline in Massof Activity Inventory at Final Assessment |
| Massof Activity Inventory - 12 month follow up | Change from Baseline in Massof Activity Inventory at 12 month follow up |
| WHO (Five) Well-Being Index (WBI-5) - 12 month follow up | Change from Baseline in WBI-5 score at 12 month follow up |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed