Direct Discrimination of Quantum States by the Human Eye

NCT05913063 | Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: SLIM
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 50
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a debilitating eye disease that causes a loss of central vision. The prevalence of AMD increases exponentially with age and causes a significant impact through both medical expenses and the social and economic costs associated with vision loss. AMD is the global leading cause of blindness among people over the age of 60. Detection of this eye disease at early stages coupled with prompt treatment can prevent vision loss; however, modern diagnosis methods are ineffective at diagnosis of AMD before vision loss occurs. While a range of available treatment options has been effective at slowing vision loss due to AMD, no treatment exists which can recover lost vision. The investigators propose to apply tools developed in quantum information science to diagnose AMD before vision has been affected, drastically improving health outcomes for patients with AMD.

Conditions

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Keywords

Age-Related Macular Degeneration; Structured Light; Orbital Angular Momentum; Polarization Perception; Retinal Imaging

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Perception of the structured light

  Assessment of the participant's ability to see the entoptic phenomena created using the structured light (SL) - orbital angular momentum (OAM) coupled polarized light. Various SL vortex and radial patterns will be projected using the custom research-based laser optical setup

  Approximately 10 minutes, Screening and Training day (Session 1)

• Radius of the radial retinal polarizer

  Calculation of the radius of the central obstruction. From a total of 14 reversal trials, the six last values of the mask size will be used for the calculation of the threshold mask size mean (r mean). The standard deviation will be computed from the variance of these last six trials

  Approximately 30 minutes, on the completion of the study (Session 6)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Thickness of retina and retinal layers

  Approximately 10 minutes, Screening and Training day (Session 1)

• Contrast sensitivity

  Approximately 5 minutes, Screening and Training day (Session 1)

• Fundus photography

  Approximately 5 minutes, Screening and Training day (Session 1)

• Ocular biometry measurement

  Approximately 5 minutes, Screening and Training day (Session 1)

• Macular pigment optical density measurement

  Approximately 10 minutes, Screening and Training day (Sessions 1 and 2)

Study Arms (1)

Participants with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

EXPERIMENTAL

Conducting the psychophysical task on the perception of OAM-coupled polarized light

Device: Structured Light Imaging Microscopy

Interventions

Structured Light Imaging Microscopy DEVICE

Conducting the psychophysical task on the perception of OAM-coupled polarized light created using the experimental setup - Structured Light Imaging Microscopy (SLIM). Four types of vortex orbital angular momentum, differing by the number of fringes l=5;10; 15;20, will be presented for 0.5s per trial during which an azimuthally varying entoptic profile rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. A circular mask with a varying radius will be placed at fixation, thus the task will be performed at varying eccentricities. Circular obstruction of the area will be achieved due to the high refresh-rate structured light modulator. The threshold mask size will be changed by a 2up/1down staircase method (71% accuracy for the estimation of mask size).

Participants with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Participants who are clinically diagnosed with a vision disease affecting their macula
• Older adults who are matched for age.
• Participants who are clinically diagnosed with glaucoma
• Participants who have normal vision.
• One aged-matched control with normal vision will be recruited for each of the diagnosed groups (born in the same year).

You may not qualify if:

• Participants with any additional eye diagnosis or condition

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Centre for Eye and Vision Research: lead
• University of Waterloo: collaborator
• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Centre for Eye and Vision Research Limited

Hong Kong, Guangdong, 00000, Hong Kong

RECRUITING

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Macular Degeneration

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Retinal Degeneration; Retinal Diseases; Eye Diseases

Study Officials

• Benjamin Thompson, PhD

  Centre for Eye and Vision Research

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

• Mukhit Kulmaganbetov, MD, PhD

  Centre for Eye and Vision Research

  STUDY DIRECTOR

Central Study Contacts

Benjamin Thompson, PhD

CONTACT

+852-3169-9631; ben.thompson@cevr.hk

Mukhit Kulmaganbetov, MD, PhD

CONTACT

+852-3169-9631; mukhit.k@cevr.hk

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: DIAGNOSTIC
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Within-subject, measuring the threshold SL-based entoptic phenomenon circular obstruction size of the radial retinal polarizer

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 31, 2023
• First Posted: June 22, 2023
• Study Start: June 26, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2029
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2029
• Last Updated: March 18, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL
• Time Frame: After the publication of study results for an indefinite period.
• Access Criteria: Upon reasonable request and approved by the study principal investigator.

Locations

HK (1)