Red light Ptosis Proof-of-Concept
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Can red light lift droopy eyelids? An open-label proof-of-concept study
IRAS ID
332942
Contact name
Glen Jeffery
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
not applicable, not applicable
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 8 months, 0 days
Research summary
In this project we will begin to find out whether using a torch which shines a red light at the eyes can make lid and eye muscles work better in children who have muscle weakness.
This is important, because these children cannot see well when the eyelid muscle is too weak to lift the eyelids, and they may get double vision, because the muscles can be too weak to keep the eyes straight.
Red-light treatment works by helping muscles make more energy. Two children have tried the red-light treatment once a day every morning, and their problems with droopy lids and double vision got better. We do not know whether it would have the same effect on other children with similar conditions, and how easy they would find it to use it every day.
We have red-light torches which are safe to use; adults who wish to maintain good eyesight can buy them over the internet.
In this project, we will ask 10 children age 3-17 years to use red-light once a day for 18 months. We will check whether their eyelids lift more, and whether their eyes are straighter.
The treatment will only work if the children use it every day for many years. We will ask the children who take part in this study and their parents/carers what they think about this treatment and how we could make it better and easier to use. This study will take 18 months, and we will use our results to prepare a larger trial.REC name
West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0225
Date of REC Opinion
1 Nov 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion