Cataracts are the clouding of the eye's natural lens — the most common cause of vision loss worldwide and the most frequently performed surgical procedure. Surgery is highly effective, but research focuses on premium lens options, surgical technique refinement, and — excitingly — drug treatments that might dissolve cataracts without surgery.
What's actually going on in research
Lanosterol and other oxysterol compounds have reversed cataracts in animal models and early human studies, and clinical trials are in progress to determine whether topical application can dissolve lens proteins in people. Premium intraocular lenses — including extended-depth-of-focus and trifocal designs — are being compared in trials for range of vision and patient satisfaction. Laser-assisted cataract surgery is being refined and compared to manual phacoemulsification for precision and outcomes.
Non-surgical cataract dissolution
Lanosterol eye drops and related compounds target the protein aggregates that form cataracts. Early human trials are testing whether regular application can reduce or eliminate cataract cloudiness.
Premium lens comparison
Extended-depth-of-focus, trifocal, and light-adjustable intraocular lenses are being compared in trials for reading vision, distance vision, and glare reduction after surgery.
Laser cataract surgery
Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery is being compared with traditional manual surgery for precision, corneal astigmatism correction, and refractive outcomes.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on cataract grade and type, visual acuity level, corneal health, and for drug trials, the early cataract stage most amenable to reversal.
What types of trials are currently open
- Surgical technique trials — Comparing laser-assisted vs. manual cataract surgery and surgical approaches for different cataract types.
- Intraocular lens trials — Evaluating premium monofocal, trifocal, and extended-depth-of-focus lenses for vision quality.
- Drug trials — Testing topical agents to prevent or dissolve early cataracts non-surgically.
- Pediatric cataract trials — Comparing surgical approaches and visual rehabilitation in children with congenital cataracts.
- Prevention trials — Testing UV protection, antioxidant supplements, and lifestyle factors in delaying cataract development.
Recently added Cataracts trials
Dexmedetomidine and Propofol for Sedation in Cataract Surgery.
The goal of this prospective, randomized, single-blinded is to learn if there is an ideal sedation protocol in cataract surgery in adults. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does the combination of Dexmedetomidine and Propofol affect significantly Ramsay sedation scale, compared to Dexmedetomidine and compared to Propofol? * How does each sedation protocol affect hemodynamics? (Heart rate and blood pressure) * Are respiratory events more common in a certain group? * Is the surgeon's satisfaction similar among groups? * Are adverse effects (bradycardia, hypotension, nausea) more common in a certain group? Researchers will compare 3 sedation protocols : Dexmedetomidine versus Propofol versus the combination of these 2 drugs and to see if one protocol is overall superior to the others. Fentanyl will also be used in all 3 sedation protocols. Participants will : * Receive one of these three protocols * Be operated for one or both eyes * Monitored during the whole surgery and in the recovery room * Be evaluated by the Ramsay sedation scale by a trained Anesthesiologist or CRNA during surgery and in the recovery room Surgeons will be asked about how much they were satisfied.
Reducing Patient Waiting Time for Cataract Surgery
The purpose of this study is to examine how coordination between hospital departments affects patient flow between the free ward (B1), paid ward (C1) and the operating theatre (OT) for cataract surgeries at a tertiary eye care hospital. This will be an Interventional study using both quantitative and qualitative methods conducted at Tejas Eye Hospital. Patients aged 40-85 years, scheduled for cataract surgery during the study period will be included. Two trained investigators would observe the process and collect the data in structured format from ward admission to transfer into the operating theatre. Every participant would be observed from the ward on the day of his schedule surgery till his surgery is over in operation theatre. Demographic details and personal characteristics of every participant would be recorded in data collection form. In this pathway, timings, events, errors, deviations would be recorded at different spots between ward and operation theatre in first phase of study. Data would be collected from total 364 participants selected using stratified sampling technique. The data will be analyzed using MS excel and EpInfo. Summary statistics would be calculated for different variables and listing of various events and errors would be done. Using the above analysis various delays, communication gaps and different deviation would be identified. A dissemination meeting would be organized with all involved in above processes and findings would be shared in detail. Specific intervention would be decided for execution in the second phase of this study. In second phase, predetermined interventions from analysis of first phase would be implemented and similar data collection would be carried out to see the impact of interventions. Data collection would be done from the phase one sample size and comparison would be carried out for important variables like delays to establish the final outcome of the study. Similarly reduction in frequencies of errors and deviations would also be calculated.
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