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Taking people in United StatesPhase 3

Two light exposure times in corneal crosslinking for keratoconus and other corneal thinning diseases

Compares 18 and 24 minutes of UVA light in crosslinking for keratoconus.

Key facts

Who runs it
Woolfson Eye Institute
Where
Asheville, Atlanta, Canton, Chattanooga, Cumming, Douglasville, Johnson City, Knoxville, Lawrenceville, Marietta, and Snellville, United StatesSee the 11 sites
Trial code
Registry title
Comparison of Epi-ON Corneal Collagen Crosslinking Performed Using an 18-Minute UVA Exposure vs. a 24-Minute UVA Exposure on Eyes With Ectatic Corneal Diseases
Status
Recruiting
Phase
Phase 3
People taking part
485 people, planned
Started
1 Aug 2025
Expected to end
31 Dec 2028
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groups
Treatments tested
  • Epi-ON corneal cross-linking
Record updated
2 February 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for people aged 8 or older with a cornea that becomes thin and misshapen, such as keratoconus. They will get corneal crosslinking with UVA light for either 18 or 24 minutes.

Age
8 years or older. Children under 14 sign an assent, and a parent or guardian signs consent.
Sex
All sexes can join.
Disease stage
Keratoconus, ectasia after LASIK or PRK, pellucid marginal degeneration, progressive ectasia after earlier CXL, or forme fruste keratoconus. The diagnosis must be based on corneal scans and slit lamp exam.
Earlier treatment
People who had a corneal transplant in the study eye cannot join. People with ectasia that progressed after earlier CXL can join.
Biomarker or test result
Thinnest corneal thickness must not be below 300 (measured by Pentacam and Ultrasound).

Main reasons for not taking part

  • Normal corneal shape on topography
  • Past or active corneal disease such as herpes, or major scarring in the central cornea
  • Nystagmus or other condition that stops a steady gaze
  • Pregnant, nursing or planning a pregnancy
  • Unable to stop wearing contact lenses before exams (3 days for soft or scleral, 2 weeks for rigid gas-permeable)

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 18 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • Subjects in whom both the subject and study eye meet all of the following criteria are candidates for the study:
  • Be at least 8 years of age or older, male or female, of any race
  • Have a diagnosis of keratoconus, ectasia after LASIK, ectasia after PRK, pellucid marginal degeneration, progressive ectasia after previous CXL treatment or forme fruste keratoconus based on topography, tomography, and slit lamp examination
  • Provide written informed consent and a signed HIPAA form. Pediatric subjects less than 14 years of age must sign an assent, and a parent or legal guardian must sign an informed consent
  • Be willing and able to follow all instructions and comply with the schedule for follow-up visits
  • If female and capable of becoming pregnant, must not be lactating or pregnant and must agree to use a medically acceptable form of birth control for at least one week prior to the treatment visit and to continue one month following treatment

Who cannot take part

  • A history of previous corneal transplant in the study eye
  • Previous ocular condition (other than refractive error) in the eye(s) to be treated that may predispose the eye to future complications or prevent the possibility of improved vision, for example:; History of or active corneal disease (e.g., herpes simplex, herpes zoster keratitis, etc.); Clinically significant corneal scarring in the central cornea that, in the investigator's opinion, will not allow the subject to achieve functional vision, even with contact lens correction, after the crosslinking procedure
  • If female, pregnant, nursing or planning a pregnancy, or having a positive urine pregnancy test prior to the randomization of, or treatment of either eye during the course of the study
  • Inability to remove soft or scleral contact lenses at least 3 days before initial and follow-up examinations
  • Inability to remove rigid gas-permeable contact lenses at least 2 weeks before initial and follow-up examinations
  • A known contraindication, sensitivity, or allergy to the test article or its components or to study medications
  • Nystagmus or any other condition that would prevent a steady gaze during the crosslinking treatment or other diagnostic tests
  • Presence or history or any other condition or finding that, in the investigator's opinion, makes the subject unsuitable as a candidate for crosslinking or study participation or may confound the outcome of the study
  • Subjects in whom the subject or study eye meets one or more of the following criteria will be excluded from the randomized cohort of the study:
  • Normal corneal topography
  • Minimum corneal thickness < 300 (measured by Pentacam and Ultrasound) at the screening exam
  • Inability to return for required postoperative examinations

Where in United States

  • Woolfson Eye InstituteAsheville, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteAtlanta, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteCanton, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteChattanooga, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteCumming, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteDouglasville, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteJohnson City, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteKnoxville, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteLawrenceville, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteMarietta, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people
  • Woolfson Eye InstituteSnellville, United StatesContact: LuAnn BryantTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

The goal of this clinical trial is to study the effects of an experimental (not Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved) treatment called corneal crosslinking (CXL) for conditions in which the cornea becomes progressively thin, steep, and misshapen, causing vision to be blurred.

Read full original descriptionShow less

CXL is performed by putting riboflavin (vitamin B2) drops onto the eye and then exposing it to ultraviolet (UVA) light at about the same intensity as you get outdoors on a bright, sunny day. It is designed to stop the progression of disease by strengthening the cornea. Study participants will be at least 8 years of age or older and have a diagnosis of keratoconus, ectasia after LASIK, ectasia after PRK, pellucid marginal degeneration, progressive ectasia after previous CXL treatment or forme fruste keratoconus.

The main question it aims to answer is:

* Does CXL help prevent or slow the progression of someone's corneal condition and vision loss?

Participants will:

* Attend up to a total of 7 in office visits over the course of 6 months, where several eye and vision tests will be given.

Receive CXL (applying riboflavin (Vitamin B2 eye drops) to the eye, then exposing the eye to ultraviolet (UV-A) light).

* There will be two groups of participants. One group will receive the UVA treatment for 18 minutes and the other group will receive the UVA treatment for 24 minutes.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • UVA 18 minuteTreatment being tested

    Subjects who meet the inclusion criteria and provide informed consent will be randomized to receive UVA irradiation with 15-second off-on cycling for either 18 minutes or 24 minutes

    Treatment: Epi-ON corneal cross-linking

  • UVA 24 minuteTreatment being tested

    Subjects who meet the inclusion criteria and provide informed consent will be randomized to receive UVA irradiation with 15-second off-on cycling for either 18 minutes or 24 minutes

    Treatment: Epi-ON corneal cross-linking

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Comparison of Epi-ON Corneal Collagen Crosslinking Performed Using an 18-Minute UVA Exposure Versus a 24-Minute UVA Exposure on Eyes With Ectatic Corneal Diseases
Plain-language title
Two light exposure times in corneal crosslinking for keratoconus and other corneal thinning diseasesGenerated from the registry record. The registry title is the official one.
AI summary
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Read by machine on 15 November 2026.
Record updated
2 February 2026