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Repetitive Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (rtACS) for the Treatment of Optic Neuropathies

Repetitive Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation(rtACS) for the Treatment of Optic Neuropathies

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07145073
Enrollment
188
Registered
2025-08-28
Start date
2026-01-26
Completion date
2028-12-31
Last updated
2026-01-30

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Glaucoma

Keywords

Glaucoma, electrical stimulation

Brief summary

The goal of this study is to see whether repeated transcranial alternating current stimulation can activate impaired retinal ganglion cells and improve both structural and functional outcomes in patients with glaucoma.

Interventions

DEVICEDC-Stimulator MC

Experimental:Participants will receive 10 days of repeated transcranial alternating current stimulation treatment in hospital.

Sponsors

National Taiwan University Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
QUADRUPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Participant must be at least 18. 2. Clinical diagnosis of glaucoma, with Humphrey Visual Field 24-2 mean deviation (MD) between -22 dB and -5 dB, and Visual Field Index (VFI) between 10% and 90%. The visual field test at screening must meet the following reliability indices: * Fixation losses (FL) ≤ 33% * False-negative rate (FNR) ≤ 20% * False-positive rate (FPR) ≤ 20% At initial screening, the difference in MD between two consecutive visual field tests must be less than 2 dB. 3. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≥ 0.2 in the worse eye selected for stimulation treatment. 4. If a participant has two eyes meeting study criteria, one eye will be randomly selected by computer for study participation. 5. In the opinion of the investigator the participant's eye pressure must be clinically stable. 6. Participant must has the ability to comply with the requirements of the study and complete the schedule of events. 7. Participant must understand and sign the informed consent. If the participant's vision is impaired to the point where he/she cannot read the informed consent document, the document will be read to the participant in its entirety. 8. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging shows measurable changes in either peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness or macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness.

Exclusion criteria

1. History of ocular herpes. 2. Pathological nystagmus. 3. Retinal disease sufficient to affect vision. 4. Corneal opacity affecting vision. 5. Cataract affecting vision. 6. Uveitis or other intraocular inflammatory disease. 7. Implanted electronic devices such as a pacemaker. 8. Rheumatologic or autoimmune disease. 9. Brain tumor or intracranial magnetic metallic implants. 10. History of epilepsy. 11. Periocular skin lesions. 12. Anxiety with Geriatric Anxiety Scale score \> 12. 13. History of claustrophobia. 14. Participation in another clinical trial within the past 3 months involving medication or training that could affect the eyes. 15. Physical or mental conditions that may increase the risk of participation or interfere with study assessments (e.g., dementia). 16. Previous ocular electrical stimulation treatment or visual training study within the past 12 months. 17. Uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes. 18. Pregnant or breastfeeding. 19. History of craniotomy, burr hole surgery, head trauma, intracranial tumor, vascular malformation, or intracranial surgery.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in visual field mean deviation (MD) from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 26 days after treatment initiationVisual field testing will be performed with the Humphrey field analyzer

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Change in visual field mean deviation (MD) from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 12 days after treatment initiationVisual field testing will be performed with the Humphrey field analyzer
Change in sensitivity at each of the 52 test points in the 24-2 visual field from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 26 days after treatment initiation
Change in targeted mean deviation from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 12 days after treatment initiation
Visual function analysis from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 5 days after treatment initiationVisual acuity measured by Landolt C Chart.
Quality of life analysis from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 12 days after treatment initiationVision-related quality of life assessed using the National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). Scores are converted to a 0-100 scale, where higher scores indicate better vision-related quality of life.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) analysis from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 12 days after treatment initiationPeripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness (μm)
Optical coherence tomography angiography(OCT-A) analysis from baseline to post-treatmentFrom treatment initiation to 12 days after treatment initiationPeripapillary vessel density

Countries

Taiwan

Contacts

CONTACTChien-Chia Su
chienchiasu@ntu.edu.tw+886 972653340
CONTACTYu-Cen Ma
s431075656@gmail.com

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026