Clinical Trial: Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS)

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS)

Brief Summary: The primary purpose is to determine whether infants with a unilateral congenital cataract are more likely to develop better vision following cataract extraction surgery if they undergo primary implantation of an intraocular lens or if they are treated primarily with a contact lens. In addition, the study will compare the occurrence of postoperative complications and the degree of parental stress between the two treatments.

Detailed Summary:

Intraocular lenses are now a commonly accepted treatment for cataracts in older children and are used increasingly in younger children and infants. Intraocular lenses are superior to contact lenses in that they more closely replicate the optics of the crystalline lens, do not require daily ongoing care, and ensure at least a partial optical correction at all times. The simplicity and improved visual outcome of an intraocular lens correction may make caring for a child with a unilateral congenital cataract less stressful for parents. However, contact lenses remain the accepted treatment for children under 1 year of age due to concerns about the long-term safety of intraocular lenses and the potential for a large myopic shift developing in these eyes as they grow. Contact lenses provide excellent visual results in infants treated for bilateral congenital cataracts; however, two-thirds of infants treated with contact lenses for unilateral congenital cataracts remain legally blind in their aphakic eye. These poor visual outcomes are usually ascribed to competition from the sound eye and poor compliance with patching and contact lens wear regimens. Data from our pilot study and the literature suggest that superior visual results can be obtained if an intraocular lens is used to correct unilateral aphakia during infancy, but these eyes will experience more complications. Intraocular lenses will be increasingly implanted in infants regardless of whether or not we perform this trial. By performing this clinical trial, we can determine if the higher rate of complications with intraocular lenses is offset by improved visual outcome and decreased parenting stress.

The Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS) is a multi-center randomized clinical trial comparing intraocular lens and contact lens correction for monocular aphakia. Infants will be enrolled over a 4 year period. Infants 28
Sponsor: Emory University

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Visual Acuity [ Time Frame: Phase 1 - Age 12 months ]
    Visual acuity was measured by standard objective testing procedures at 12 months of age. Monocular grating acuity was assessed by the traveling examiner with the Teller Acuity Cards. This test uses cards with black-on-white lines of varying widths and a set distance apart in a square with fixed dimensions, so the thinner the lines, the more there will be on any given card (cycles/cm). The ability to see thinner lines indicates better vision. The cards with lines are presented simultaneously with a gray card and the child's visual attention is noted. It is presumed that the child will preferentially look at the card with the stripes as it is more interesting. When the lines are too thin and close together so as to be indistinguishable from the gray card, no preferential looking will be noted. The card with the thinnest lines that the child will look at is recorded as the best visual acuity in logMAR units.
  • Visual Acuity - Subjective Assessment at Age 4.5 Years. [ Time Frame: Phase 2 - Age 4.5 Years ]
    Visual acuity estimates were standardized by using the Electronic Visual Acuity Tester (EVAT) at each clinical site. The IATS patients were tested at 4.5 years of age allowing the use of the HOTV recognition acuity test. The Amblyopia Treatment Study protocol for presentation and determination of best corrected visual acuity was followed. Monocular visual acuity was evaluated using single letter optotypes with surround bars presented on the EVAT. The staircase procedure of the ATS projects was followed as this has documented success and reliability with this age group. In order to familiarize the subjects with the HOTV matching test, this test was introduced at the 4.0 year v

    Original Primary Outcome: Visual Acuity

    Current Secondary Outcome:

    • Percent of Patients With 1 or More Intraoperative Complications at Cataract Surgery [ Time Frame: Cataract surgery immediately after enrollment ]
    • Percent of Patients With 1 or More Adverse Events [ Time Frame: Study enrollment to age 5 years ]
    • Parenting Stress [ Time Frame: Phase 1 - 3 months post surgery ]
      The PSI is a 120-item validated self-report measure of parenting stress. PSI is a continuous scale measuring stress with a range of 131 (low stress) to 320 (high stress); the average person's stress scores are between 188 and 252.
    • Adherence to Occlusion Therapy [ Time Frame: Phase 1 - 12 months follow-up ]
      Parental report of the number of hours children wore an patch to occlude the fellow eye.
    • Parenting Stress [ Time Frame: Phase 1 - Age 12 Months ]
      The PSI is a 120-item validated self-report measure of parenting stress. PSI is a continuous scale measuring stress with a range of 131 (low stress) to 320 (high stress); the average person's stress scores are between 188 and 252


    Original Secondary Outcome:

    • Complications
    • Parenting Stress


    Information By: Emory University

    Dates:
    Date Received: September 13, 2005
    Date Started: December 2004
    Date Completion:
    Last Updated: July 27, 2016
    Last Verified: July 2016