Safety and Clinical Applicability of Transcorneal Electrical Stimulation (TES) in Geographic Atrophy

Geographic atrophy (GA) is a progressive eye disease that causes the degeneration of the retinal cells, particularly in the macula, leading to vision loss. Currently, there is no approved therapy specifically for GA in Europe.

The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the safety and potential efficacy of the treatment of visual field defects in patients with GA using transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) with the OkuStim 2 System. One of the main mechanisms for the loss of retinal cells in GA is inflammation. It is known from preclinical studies that electrical stimulation of the eye can inhibit inflammation or cellular reactions to inflammatory processes in the retina, trigger neuroprotective mechanisms and promote blood flow in the retina. The multicentric, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled pilot study is based on the assumption that these mechanisms can maintain the functional integrity of the outer zone of the lesion area for longer.

Participants will be randomly assigned 1:1:1 to one of these three groups:

• TES-treatment with a rectangular stimulus
• TES-treatment with a repetitive ramp stimulus
• Placebo (sham) treatment

After an initial training phase, participants will apply the therapy at home, once a week for 30 minutes each over a duration of 1 year. Only one eye will be treated (study eye).

Inclusion criteria

• Willing and able to understand the study and provide informed consent
• 60 years of age or older
• Diagnosis of geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration confirmed by imaging
• The affected area in the eye must be within a defined size range and clearly visible on imaging
• Eye conditions must allow for good-quality images and reliable measurements
• Must have a minimum level of visual acuity
• Women of childbearing potential must have a negative pregnancy test, and must agree to use effective contraception during the study (women who are postmenopausal or surgically sterile are not subject to pregnancy-related requirements)

Exclusion criteria

• History or presence of certain eye conditions (e.g. macular edema, abnormal blood vessel growth or related conditions, retinal detachment, blood vessel blockage) in the study eye
• Previous major eye surgeries (including retinal surgery or vitrectomy)
• Previous laser treatment or injections in the study eye
• Any other eye condition that could interfere with vision tests, imaging or study results
• Planned eye surgery during the study period
• Recent treatment with investigational drugs for geographic atrophy
• Presence of active medical implants
• Serious or uncontrolled systemic diseases, history of epilepsy or poor general health or conditions affecting the ability to follow study procedures
• Participation in another clinical study recently or at the same time
• Breastfeeding, relevant allergies (e.g. to silver), or heavy smoking