A Phase 1/2 interventional study of Amblyopia Therapy and 1 mg Psilocybin in Amblyopia, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-11-05.
Sponsored by Johns Hopkins University · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether ingestion of a drug called psilocybin can increase the effectiveness of amblyopia therapy in adults with amblyopia. Psilocybin is a naturally-occurring psychoactive compound found in many species of mushrooms. It can be ingested orally and can result in strong but short-term (4-6 hours) effects such as changes in perception, thoughts, and emotions.
Participation in this study involves up to 12 visits over 9-13 weeks, including a screening visit, a preparation visit, two all-day experimental drug administration sessions with psilocybin, and eight follow up visits.The purpose of these follow-up visits is to deliver in-lab amblyopia therapy, measure visual function, and monitor safety. Participants will also be asked to complete amblyopia therapy at home: this will involve wearing an eyepatch or an eyeglasses filter over the non-amblyopic eye every day for up to several hours and completing online training exercises.
189 studies on the registry are indexed under Amblyopia; 41 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 24 is below the median of 60 across 137 interventional studies indexed under Amblyopia.
Browse Amblyopia studies →Johns Hopkins University is the lead sponsor of 1,815 studies on the registry; 315 are open to participants now.
Of its 208 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 144 (69%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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.
Exclusion Criteria:
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.
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.
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
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.
A “mini-stroke”: temporary stroke-like symptoms caused by reduced blood flow to part of the brain, spinal cord or eye, without signs of a new stroke on a scan.
Stroke symptoms need emergency care at once, even if they go away.
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
ECG (electrocardiogram)
A recording of the heart’s electrical activity, taken with stickers on the chest, arms and legs. It takes a few minutes and does not hurt.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Childbearing potential
Able to become pregnant: from the first period until menopause, unless permanently unable to through surgery (removal of the womb, or of both ovaries or both fallopian tubes).
Criteria for people of childbearing potential usually ask for a negative pregnancy test and for contraception during the study and for a time after it.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
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.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
TIA (transient ischaemic attack)
A “mini-stroke”: temporary stroke-like symptoms caused by reduced blood flow to part of the brain, spinal cord or eye, without signs of a new stroke on a scan.
Stroke symptoms need emergency care at once, even if they go away.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
DSM diagnostic criteria
The American Psychiatric Association’s manual of mental health diagnoses. DSM-5 (2013, revised as DSM-5-TR in 2022) replaced DSM-IV, and some studies still name the older edition. “Meets DSM criteria for …” means diagnosed by that edition’s diagnostic criteria, usually by a clinician in an interview.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Behavioral: Amblyopia Therapy · Drug: 1 mg Psilocybin
Behavioral: Amblyopia Therapy · Drug: 5 mg Psilocybin
Behavioral: Amblyopia Therapy · Drug: 10 mg Psilocybin
Behavioral: Amblyopia Therapy · Drug: 15 mg Psilocybin
Behavioral: Amblyopia Therapy · Drug: 20 mg Psilocybin
Behavioral: Amblyopia Therapy · Drug: 25 mg Psilocybin
May include: eye-patching, Bangerter filtering, dichoptic training, perceptual learning
The psilocybin used in this study is synthetically manufactured and formulated under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The active drug is encapsulated using a size 0 blue gelatin capsule and contains 1 mg of psilocybin.
The psilocybin used in this study is synthetically manufactured and formulated under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The active drug is encapsulated using a size 0 blue gelatin capsule and contains 5 mg of psilocybin.
The psilocybin used in this study is synthetically manufactured and formulated under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The active drug is encapsulated using a size 0 blue gelatin capsule and contains 10 mg of psilocybin.
The psilocybin used in this study is synthetically manufactured and formulated under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The active drug is encapsulated using a size 0 blue gelatin capsule and contains 15 mg of psilocybin.
The psilocybin used in this study is synthetically manufactured and formulated under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The active drug is encapsulated using a size 0 blue gelatin capsule and contains 20 mg of psilocybin.
The psilocybin used in this study is synthetically manufactured and formulated under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). The active drug is encapsulated using a size 0 blue gelatin capsule and contains 25 mg of psilocybin.
Change in Amblyopic Eye Visual Acuity
Measured using LogMAR scale
Time frame: from Baseline to two weeks after experimental drug session 2
Change in Fellow Eye Visual Acuity
Measured using LogMAR scale
Time frame: from Baseline to two weeks after experimental drug session 2
Challenging Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ)
The Challenging Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) is a self-report measure designed to assess the intensity and quality of difficult or distressing experiences during psychedelic states. Score range 0-5, 0 is equivalent to no challenging experiences and 5 is an extreme (more than ever before in my life). Higher score "more difficult."
Time frame: Approximately 7 hours after capsule administration during each experimental drug administration session (Visits 3 and 7; two weeks apart).
11-Dimensional Altered States of Consciousness Questionnaire (11D-ASC)
The 11D-ASC is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess the phenomenology of altered states of consciousness induced by psychedelics and other methods. The 11 dimensions are: 1) Experience of Unity, (2) Spiritual Experience, (3) Blissful State, (4) Insightfulness, (5) Disembodiment, (6) Impaired Control and Cognition, (7) Anxiety, (8) Complex Imagery, (9) Elementary Imagery, (10) Audio-Visual Synesthesia, and (11) Changed Meaning of Percepts. Each item is rated on a visual analog scale from 0 to 100, and scores for each dimension are calculated as the mean of the corresponding items, ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater intensity of the respective subjective experience, rather than a uniformly better or worse outcome.
Time frame: Approximately 7 hours after capsule administration during each experimental drug administration session (Visits 3 and 7; two weeks apart).
The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5)
The WHO-5 is a five-item self-report measure of mental well-being over the preceding two weeks. Each item is scored from 0 to 5, yielding a raw total score ranging from 0 to 25. The raw score can be multiplied by four to obtain a percentage score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better mental well-being.
Time frame: At the preparation session, one and two weeks after the first experimental drug administration session, and one, two, and eight weeks after the second drug administration session.
Amblyopia and Strabismus Questionnaire: English (ASQE)
The ASQE is a 26-item self-report questionnaire assessing vision-related quality of life in adults with amblyopia and strabismus. Item responses are converted to scores ranging from 0 to 100, and the total score is calculated as the mean of the item scores, ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate better vision-related quality of life, with 0 representing the worst and 100 the best possible outcome.
Time frame: At the preparation session, two weeks after the first experimental drug administration session, and two and eight weeks after the second experimental drug administration session
Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS)
The Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS) is a patient-rated questionnaire assessing functional impairment across three domains: work/school, social life, and family life/home responsibilities. Each domain is rated on an 11-point scale from 0 (no impairment) to 10 (extreme impairment). The three domain scores are summed to yield a total score ranging from 0 to 30. Higher scores indicate greater functional impairment (worse functioning), while lower scores indicate less impairment (better functioning).
Time frame: At the preparation session, two weeks after the first drug administration session, and two and eight weeks after the second drug administration session.
Plan to share: No
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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 ↗
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