Senile macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, and presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome, while less common, is an important cause of blindness. Although various treatments have been proposed for each of these conditions, including photocoagulation, no treatment has been shown to be of benefit for either condition in a controlled randomized trial with a sufficient number of patients. The Macular Photocoagulation Study is a controlled clinical trial supported by the National Eye Institute designed to evaluate the efficiency of argon laser photocoagulation in preserving vision in patients with senile maculopathy and in patients with ocular histoplasmosis. The eyes of patients eligible for photocoagulation treatment will be randomly assigned to treatment with argon laser photocoagulation and no treatment. Each clinic will recruit approximately 100 patients. All patients will be followed for five years under a detailed protocol. The results will be examined at six-month intervals by Data Monitoring Committee.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Cooperative Clinical Research--Cooperative Agreements (U10)
Project #
5U10EY003284-13
Application #
3559100
Study Section
Vision Research and Training Committee (VSN)
Project Start
1979-09-30
Project End
1993-12-31
Budget Start
1992-01-01
Budget End
1992-12-31
Support Year
13
Fiscal Year
1992
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Wisconsin Madison
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
161202122
City
Madison
State
WI
Country
United States
Zip Code
53715