NCT03694626

Brief Summary

The purpose of this project is to provide a new framework for diagnosing and monitoring treatment of light sensitivity and headache by objective measurement of facial features, pupil responses, retinal electrical responses and autonomic nerve responses to light.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
120

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
20mo left

Started Jul 2019

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress81%
Jul 2019Jan 2028

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

July 17, 2018

Completed
3 months until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

October 3, 2018

Completed
9 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

July 11, 2019

Completed
8.5 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

January 1, 2028

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

January 1, 2028

Last Updated

November 24, 2025

Status Verified

May 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

8.5 years

First QC Date

July 17, 2018

Last Update Submit

November 18, 2025

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Correlation of facial responses to light sensitivity

    Hand held pupillography/videography, electroretinogram, and electrophysiology measurements are correlated to develop of an objective biological marker of light sensitivity.

    1 Day

  • Difference in objective biological markers of light sensitivity between light sensitive and normal subjects

    The correlation of facial responses to light sensitivity is compared between groups to test whether the measure can accurately distinguish light sensitivity.

    1 Day

Secondary Outcomes (2)

  • Correlation of objective biological marker of light sensitivity to optic nerve structures

    1 Day

  • Correlation of objective biological marker of light sensitivity to macula (structure found in the back of the eye).

    1 Day

Study Arms (5)

Healthy Control subjects

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Device: PupillographyDevice: Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)Device: Wrist-watch sensor deviceDevice: VideographyDevice: Electrophysiology

TBI Patients without photosensitivity

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Device: PupillographyDevice: Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)Device: Wrist-watch sensor deviceDevice: VideographyDevice: Electrophysiology

Migraine patients without photosensitivity

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Device: PupillographyDevice: Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)Device: Wrist-watch sensor deviceDevice: VideographyDevice: Electrophysiology

Migraine patients with photosensitivity

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Device: PupillographyDevice: Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)Device: Wrist-watch sensor deviceDevice: VideographyDevice: Electrophysiology

TBI patients with photosensitivity

ACTIVE COMPARATOR
Device: PupillographyDevice: Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT)Device: Wrist-watch sensor deviceDevice: VideographyDevice: Electrophysiology

Interventions

A hand-held pupillometer/electroretinogram device (RETeval, LKC) will be held in front of the subject's eye, but will not touch the eye. The device will provide a brief, a series of brief light stimuli and then record the pupil response and the elicited electrical response from the retina from a surface skin patch (electrode) placed below each eye, from the light as a measure of whether the inherent sensitivity of the eye in the retina is normal. The investigators will repeat this in the left eye. The visible light stimulus is safe and is given at an intensity experienced in normal daily light exposures. The test takes about 2 minutes per eye.

Also known as: Reteval, LKC
Healthy Control subjectsMigraine patients with photosensitivityMigraine patients without photosensitivityTBI Patients without photosensitivityTBI patients with photosensitivity

The thickness of the optic nerve and macula will also be measured inside of the eye using a special camera that forms an image of the layers of the retina without pupil dilation. The imaging is harmless and measures the structural health of the optic nerve and retinal layers. This test takes 5-10 minutes per eye.

Healthy Control subjectsMigraine patients with photosensitivityMigraine patients without photosensitivityTBI Patients without photosensitivityTBI patients with photosensitivity

A wrist-watch sensor device (E4, Empatica) will be place on each wrist to measure skin conductance, heart rate, skin temperature and arm movement during testing. These wrist-watch devices are being used to monitor changes in sympathetic nerve activity to light intensity, (the sympathetic nerves supply the blood vessels to the skin and heart).

Also known as: (E4, Empatica)
Healthy Control subjectsMigraine patients with photosensitivityMigraine patients without photosensitivityTBI Patients without photosensitivityTBI patients with photosensitivity

The subject will sit comfortably in front of miniature combination infrared/visible light video cameras and infrared diode light source located within 1 meter to provide video recording of the face during testing with light and during darkness, described next. After the 10 minutes of dark-adapting, the subject will put his/her chin on a chin rest in front of the video cameras and a light emitting diode (LED) array give diffuse red, blue, and white stimuli over a range of intensities. None of the stimuli are as bright as a flash from a camera and are in the range of intensities normally experienced during daily activities. At the end of the test the investigators will add filters over the glasses: orange (blue-blocking) filters and neutral density filters. Subjects will grade independently, both the brightness and discomfort they feel from each light stimulus intensity.

Healthy Control subjectsMigraine patients with photosensitivityMigraine patients without photosensitivityTBI Patients without photosensitivityTBI patients with photosensitivity

Next, electrodes will be placed above, below and to the side of the test eye to record the electromyogram (EMG) for measuring eyelid opening and blink rate.

Healthy Control subjectsMigraine patients with photosensitivityMigraine patients without photosensitivityTBI Patients without photosensitivityTBI patients with photosensitivity

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 80 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Healthy individuals with normal eye exam in the previous year
  • Age 18-80

You may not qualify if:

  • History of eye or systemic disorder that affect the retina, optic nerve, visual pathway, or pupil defect: including glaucoma, optic neuropathy, or retinal disease, diabetes and/or hypertension that are not well controlled, history of head trauma, concussion, or TBI, history of cervical or spinal injury/surgery
  • Medications or eyedrops that would confound measuring the pupil light reflex and EMG: including topical autonomic drugs that could influence pupil size, ocular pharmacologic agents, sedative agents (e.g. benzodiazepines or barbiturates), opioid narcotics
  • Must not be light sensitive or get migraine headaches
  • TBI patients without photosensitivity or headache:
  • Age 18-80
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • History of eye or systemic disorder that affect the retina, optic nerve, visual pathway, or pupil defect: including glaucoma, optic neuropathy, or retinal disease, diabetes and/or hypertension that are not well controlled
  • Medications or eyedrops that would confound measuring the pupil light reflex and EMG: including topical autonomic drugs that could influence pupil size, ocular pharmacologic agents, sedative agents (e.g. benzodiazepines or barbiturates), opioid narcotics - Must not be light sensitive or get migraine headaches (use headache criteria from Ana if we are including headaches)
  • Age 18-80
  • Photosensitivity: determined by patient reporting symptoms and there may or may not be an identified cause associated with their light sensitivity (i.e. history of uveitis, childhood exotropia, meningitis, radiation, tumor)
  • History of eye or systemic disorder that affect the retina, optic nerve, visual pathway, or pupil defect: including glaucoma, optic neuropathy, or retinal disease, diabetes and/or hypertension that are not well controlled, history of head trauma, concussion, or TBI, history of cervical or spinal injury/surgery
  • Medications or eyedrops that would confound measuring the pupil light reflex and EMG: including topical autonomic drugs that could influence pupil size, ocular pharmacologic agents, sedative agents (e.g. benzodiazepines or barbiturates), opioid narcotics
  • Age 18-80
  • Photosensitivity: determined by patient reporting symptoms and cause associated with their light sensitivity is post TBI
  • TBI
  • +1 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Iowa Health Care

Iowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

PhotophobiaBrain Injuries, TraumaticMigraine Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Vision DisordersSensation DisordersNeurologic ManifestationsNervous System DiseasesEye DiseasesSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsBrain InjuriesBrain DiseasesCentral Nervous System DiseasesCraniocerebral TraumaTrauma, Nervous SystemWounds and InjuriesHeadache Disorders, PrimaryHeadache Disorders

Central Study Contacts

Julie Nellis, BSN

CONTACT

Jan Full, BSN

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
NON RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
SCREENING
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

July 17, 2018

First Posted

October 3, 2018

Study Start

July 11, 2019

Primary Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

January 1, 2028

Last Updated

November 24, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-05

Locations