John J. Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

The study proposes to form a consortium of autoimmunity of the optic nerve with the goal of improving diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. 

Investigators will compare magnetic resonance (MR) elastography and/or ultrasound elastography measurements to other forms of noninvasive methods of detecting raised intracranial pressure, including optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging measurements of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and indirect signs of raised intracranial pressure on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The purpose of this study is to use the SHAPE technique for measuring ophthalmic artery pressure in patients undergoing lumbar puncture (LP) for suspected idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and compare the SHAPE data with pressures obtained using LP (reference standard).

The purpose of this study is to determine if optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography is able to distinguish different causes of optic neuropathy.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical utility of a quantitative test to measure how color saturation appears in patients with diseases of the optive nerve.

This study will determine the effect of QPI-1007 on visual function in subjects with recent-onset NAION and assess the safety and tolerability of intravitreal injections of QPI-1007 in this population. This study will also evaluate the structural changes in the retina following administration of QPI-1007.

The purpose of this study is to explore the various retinal modalities to determine if they may provide a non-invasive method of identifying populations at risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and predict disease progression.

A Randomized Controlled, Open-label, Rater-blinded Pragmatic trial, “Treatment of Inflammatory Myelitis and Optic Neuritis with Early vs Rescue Plasma Exchange (TIMELY-PLEX)”, comparing these two treatment strategies. 1) Plasma exchange (PLEX) is an established intervention that is commonly used in clinical practice in the United States for the treatment of severe optic neuritis (ON) and transverse myelitis (TM) 2) Based on the existing evidence and society guidelines/expert opinion, there is equipoise as to whether using early PLEX (concurrently with high dose corticosteroids [HDCS]) is associated with better neurological outcomes in ON and TM, as compared to a “traditional” treatment algorithm of initial HDCS followed by rescue PLEX in cases without significant improvement after HDCS 3) Both of these treatment approaches are healthcare options that are available and used in clinical practice in the United States, with an unclear risk-benefit and cost-benefit ratio, representing a challenge for providers, patients, and health systems. 

Patients will be recruited from 310 participating sites across the United States. The sites are from a diversity of geographic regions, serving diverse racial/ethnic populations and urban, suburban, and rural populations. A diverse patient population is not only important to increase the generalizability of the trial results, but also to ensure we capture patients with NMOSD, a condition that that appears to exhibit a preponderance for Black and Eastern Asian populations, and presents often with severe ON or TM.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the critical flicker fusion device in distinguishing different kinds of optic neuropathy. 

The goal of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of B-scan ultrasonography in identifying increased ICP in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension via measurement of optic nerve sheath diameter. 

The purpose of this study is to compare Medical Therapy (MT) vs. MT Plus Optic Nerve Sheath Fenestration vs. MT Plus Ventriculoperitoneal Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunting in subjects with idiopathic intracranial hypertension and moderate-to-severe visual loss.