ClinicalTrials.gg
RecruitingNCT07559188NOAUpdated Oct 13, 2026

Proof-of-Concept for a Novel Optical Aperture Contact Lens in Presbyopia and Keratoconus

An interventional study of NOA lens type 1 and NOA lens type 2 in Keratoconus, Presbyopia and Scleral Contact Lenses, sponsored by Azalea Vision. Recruiting at 2 sites in 2 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-13.

Sponsored by Azalea Vision · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Sep 2026; still recruiting 1 month later.
Updated Oct 13, 2026Now RecruitingSite recruiting status changed+2 moreGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
16
Allocation
Non-randomized
Ages
18 Years and older
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this clinical study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the NOA lens, a custom-made scleral contact lens developed by Azalea Vision BV, in improving visual quality for individuals with keratoconus and presbyopia.

This clinical study investigates a new lens design featuring a specific central aperture (opening) intended to enhance image quality by increasing depth of focus and reducing optical aberrations. The NOA lens serves as a functional prototype for future "smart lens" technology, specifically the ALMA Smart Lens. The study aims to determine if this specialized lens provides a solution for patients whose visual needs are not fully met by conventional glasses or contact lenses.

The investigation will compare a standard refractive scleral lens (Type 1) against the aperture-integrated lens (Type 2) to validate the "pinhole effect" in improving vision and reducing higher-order aberrations.

Read the detailed description

This is a pre-market, interventional, exploratory, open-label, proof-of-concept study designed to validate the mode of action of the NOA lens, which is a freeform, rigid gas permeable (RGP) scleral contact lens customized to the unique topography of each patient's eye. The investigation serves as a functional prototype to validate the technology intended for the future ALMA Smart Lens by utilizing a specialized integrated optical aperture (pinhole) to enhance depth of focus and reduce the impact of optical aberrations.

The study primarily aims to validate this mode of action by evaluating the lens's effectiveness: for patients with keratoconus, the focus is on reducing higher-order aberrations, whereas for patients with presbyopia, the focus is on improving near visual acuity. While the primary focus is on these visual improvements, the study also evaluates the safety profile of the device by monitoring the cumulative incidence and severity of device-related safety events throughout the participation period.

The clinical process begins with a screening visit where eligibility is confirmed through medical history, visual acuity measurements, and comprehensive eye scans, including corneal topography and wavefront aberrometry. During the baseline visit, patients are fitted with the NOA lens Type 1, a scleral lens that provides standard refractive correction. After the lens has settled, investigators perform assessments of visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, visual field, and aberrometry to establish a reference standard. At the final testing visit, the process is repeated using the NOA lens Type 2, which incorporates the internally sealed optical aperture, allowing for a direct comparison of visual performance and higher-order aberrations against the baseline.

02

Conditions studied

  • Keratoconus
  • Presbyopia
  • Scleral Contact Lenses
  • Pinhole

Keywords

  • keratoconus
  • presbyopia
  • scleral contact lenses
  • pinhole
  • central aperture
03

In context

Keratoconus

313 studies on the registry are indexed under Keratoconus; 56 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 16 is below the median of 40 across 205 interventional studies indexed under Keratoconus.

Browse Keratoconus studies →

Lead sponsor

Azalea Vision is the lead sponsor of 2 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years and older
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18y at time of .
  • Provide written Informed Consent.
  • Being diagnosed in both eyes with:
  • Keratoconus, without having presbyopia (Group A) OR: Emmetropic (+-0.5 D) presbyopia, without having corneal irregularities (Group B)
  • Cornea considered to be clinically stable at the discretion of the investigator (e.g. no recent cross linking performed, no current corneal sutures, no corneal sutures recently removed).
  • Willing to remove current contact lenses (any type) in both eyes for a minimum of 48 hours prior to every study visit.
  • Able to read Dutch.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Active ocular infection or inflammation, including infectious keratitis, infectious conjunctivitis or blepharitis with discharge.
  • Medical history (of ocular pathologies) that might lead to incomplete/incorrect eye surface scan OR wavefront aberrometry, at the discretion of the investigator.
  • Use of fluorescein in the eye, within 12 hours prior to the PentacamAXL Wave scan.
  • Contact lens refitting within one month prior to the screening PentacamAXL Wave scan (or planned refitting throughout the study), as this can significantly impact the corneal or scleral surface.
  • Use of hybrid contact lenses or corneal RGP contact lenses within 3 months prior to (or planned use during) study participation.
  • Having worn contact lenses (any type) within 48 hours prior to performing the screening Pentacam AXL Wave scan at visit 1.
  • acute non-infectious ocular surface abnormality, including active corneal abrasion, recent ocular surface trauma.
  • Severe ocular surface disease that prevents safe lens application, stable wear, or lens removal.
  • Severe corneal hypoesthesia or neurotrophic keratopathy which would impair perception of pain, foreign body sensation or delay symptom reporting.
  • Known or allergy to the lens material or approved cleaning, disinfecting or filling solutions.
  • Active allergic eye disease, including active papillary or follicular conjunctivitis.
  • Systemic conditions known to impair corneal healing, such as uncontrolled disease.
  • Glaucoma.
  • Central opacity and/or central corneal scarring and/or cataract.
  • History of low corneal endothelial cell count (\< 1500 cells/mm2) or endothelial pathologies, at the discretion of the investigator.
  • Aphakic and pseudophakic.
  • Severe meibomian gland dysfunction, at the discretion of the investigator.
  • Known vitreoretinal pathologies, at the discretion of the investigator.
  • Subjects needing eye drops every 2hrs.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding woman.
  • History of other known ocular pathologies that might influence the measured endpoints of the study, at the discretion of the investigator.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Clinically significant

Judged by the study doctor to matter for your health or for the study. It is a doctor’s decision, so ask the study team if you are unsure whether something counts.

Hypersensitivity

An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.

Autoimmune disease

A condition in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, type 1 diabetes or inflammatory bowel disease.

Immunotherapy studies often leave out active autoimmune disease, and some name exceptions, such as thyroid disease on replacement hormone. Check the exceptions this study lists.

05

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Non-randomized
Intervention model
Sequential assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
16 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Keratoconus

    Keratoconus, without having presbyopia

    Device: NOA lens type 1 · Device: NOA lens type 2

  • Experimental
    Presbyopia

    Emmetropic (+-0.5 D) presbyopia, without having corneal irregularities

    Device: NOA lens type 1 · Device: NOA lens type 2

Interventions

  • DeviceNOA lens type 1

    Provides standard refractive correction. It is a clear (un-printed) lens used only to design the type 2 lens by assessing on-eye centration and stability. It also acts as the reference standard for baseline assessments in the NOA study

  • DeviceNOA lens type 2

    Incorporates an integrated optical aperture (pinhole) created by an opaque dye, in addition to standard refractive correction. This opaque layer is printed on an internal surface and sealed within the lens cavity. The inclusion of this optical aperture is intended to enhance depth of focus (the "pinhole effect") and reduce the impact of optical aberrations

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Mode of action NOA lens in keratoconus group

    Change from baseline in higher-order aberrations (HOAs), as measured by a wavefront aberrometer and expressed as the total root mean square (RMS) wavefront error, following a single evaluation session with the NOA lens type 2.

    Time frame: As assessed at the final study visit 3 (=approximately 6 weeks after baseline) compared to the baseline visit 2 (=day 0 + approximately 6 weeks)

  2. Mode of action NOA lens in presbyopia group

    Change from baseline in near visual acuity, as measured by a logMAR chart, following a single evaluation session with the NOA lens type 2.

    Time frame: As assessed at the final study visit 3 (=approximately 6 weeks after baseline) compared to the baseline visit 2 (=day 0 + approximately 6 weeks)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Safety of NOA lens

    Cumulative incidence and severity of device-related safety events throughout the study, in both groups

    Time frame: as from screening visit 1 (day 0) until study completion, which takes place on average 12 weeks after the screening visit.

07

Study locations

2 of 2 sites recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — This study will be registered in a public trial register (clinicaltrials.gov) prior to inclusion of the first subject. The content - including the participating Principal Investigators and Clinical Study Sites - will be updated throughout the conduct of the study. Results information from this study will be submitted to the public trial register.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

1 registry update since Sep 25, 2026
Status
Not yet recruiting→Recruiting
changed Oct 13, 2026
Sites
2 sites changed recruiting status (2 now recruiting)
Show 2 sites
  • University Hospital Antwerp (UZA) · Antwerp, Belgiumno status→Recruiting
  • Visser Contactlenzen Brunssum · Brunssum, Netherlandsno status→Recruiting
Oct 13, 2026
Start date
Oct 1, 2026→Sep 28, 2026 (actual)
Oct 13, 2026
Contact
Study contact changed: c•••@azaleavision.com · •••8071→c•••@azaleavision.com · •••4401. See the current contact
Oct 13, 2026
Show all 1 update
  1. Oct 13, 2026
    Not yet recruiting→Recruiting
    2 sites changed recruiting status (2 now recruiting)
    Show 2 sites
    • University Hospital Antwerp (UZA) · Antwerp, Belgiumno status→Recruiting
    • Visser Contactlenzen Brunssum · Brunssum, Netherlandsno status→Recruiting
    Start date Oct 1, 2026→Sep 28, 2026 (now actual)
    Contact Study contact changed: c•••@azaleavision.com · •••8071→c•••@azaleavision.com · •••4401. See the current contact
    + 1 other change: verification date

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07559188
Lead sponsor
Azalea Vision
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Apr 30, 2026
Start date
Sep 28, 2026
Primary completion
Mar 31, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Mar 31, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Oct 13, 2026

Study contacts

Sarah Naessens
Contact
clinical@azaleavision.com
+32498604401
Koppen
principal investigator · University Hospital, Antwerp

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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