Telangana: BostonSight, LVPEI launch clinical trial on mental health impact of specialty lenses
Hyderabad, Aug 10 (TNT): BostonSight and L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) have launched a prospective clinical trial to study the impact of PROSE and SCLERAL specialty lenses on the mental health of patients suffering from corneal and ocular surface diseases.
The Institutional Review Board-approved multi-site study will cover new PROSE patients referred to LVPEI from across India and other regions.
The study is part of BostonSight’s ongoing research into the effectiveness of specialty lenses and their impact on patients’ quality of life, extending its earlier research on the cornea and ocular surface.
Researchers will use the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to measure mental health outcomes, the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) to assess ocular surface symptoms and the Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) to evaluate visual functioning.
The primary objective is to determine whether there is a measurable correlation between mental health outcomes and specialty lens treatment, and to examine the relationship between changes in mental health and vision- and ocular surface-related scores, the Institute said in a release here on Monday.
The researchers said the study could help improve awareness of mental health challenges associated with ocular surface diseases and support earlier interventions through PROSE and other specialty lenses.
“IRB approval is an important milestone that confirms the study meets established ethical and regulatory standards. We are excited to move forward with this important study to evaluate quantifiable mental health outcomes associated with these specialty lenses,” said Dr Prashant Garg, Executive Chair, LVPEI.
BostonSight Chief Medical Officer Dr Daniel Brocks said mental health was often overlooked in the treatment of patients with ocular surface disease. Improvements in vision, ocular comfort and ocular health could have a significant impact on mental health, he said.
LVPEI has been a long-term partner of BostonSight and distributes PROSE and SCLERAL lenses in India and the surrounding region. The custom, non-surgical medical lenses are used to provide comfort and visual clarity to people with corneal and ocular surface diseases.
BostonSight said PROSE and SCLERAL are FDA-cleared medical devices used as part of customised medical treatment, while BostonSight SCLERAL is commercially available for mild to moderate corneal and ocular surface disease conditions.
Established in 1987, LVPEI is a comprehensive eye health facility and a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for the Prevention of Blindness. The institute provides more than 50 per cent of its services free of cost to patients and has published over 5,000 scientific papers in international journals.
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