Dr. Bernd Kutzscher, Ophthalmologist affiliated with Seton Medical Center, and his colleagues from Pacific Eye Specialists in Daly City, have been selected to participate in an FDA-sponsored clinical trial of a new eye drop to treat cataract. Chakshu Research, a highly regarded company based in Los Gatos, CA, is conducting this clinical trial. The goal of the study is to determine whether this eye drop might be effective in slowing or even reversing the development of early cataract.
Pacific Eye Specialists at Seton Medical Center is joining several prominent university-based research institutions in conducting this clinical trial. These include Harvard's Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah, and the Wilmer Institute at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Like all FDA-approved clinical trials, this research study has already successfully completed the initial phase of safety testing. In addition, the early results of the trial have been encouraging and have allowed Chakshu Research to continue its study with a larger group of patients who have early cataract.
Prospective patients are pre-screened and may be eligible for this clinical trial if they meet the following criteria - 50 years old or older; early cataract in both eyes; mild to moderate impairment of vision; otherwise healthy eyes and otherwise in good health. The study involves a series of careful exams over a 4-month period. Participants will be paid $1,000 at the completion of the trial.