Research Subject Recruitment
Optical Coherence Tomography of the Eye Study Recruitment
We are currently seeking participants in the Champaign-Urbana area for this research study.
Do you have a family member or close relative with Alzheimer’s disease? Did you know that changes in the brain may also appear in the eye?
We are investigating the impact neurological disorders have on eye health. We want to find out whether we can detect early signs of developing Alzheimer’s disease using our FDA-approved eye imaging instrument based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology.
- We are looking for healthy male and female individuals age 18 or older with normal or declining vision, and with or without a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.
- To learn more about some of the eligibility criteria, please see below.
If you are interested in participating in the study, please contact us.
If you agree to undergo the screening, we will ask you questions about your health to establish your eligibility for the study. The screening process for this study is done via a phone call or by filling a secure online form, which may take up to 10 minutes. If you are eligible, we will describe the study to you, and give you the opportunity to ask questions.
We would like to hear from you if you
- currently are 18 years of age or older
- are fluent in English language
- are free from significant neurological disorders
- have not been diagnosed with cataract
- have a normal or declining vision
- have a family member or close relative who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease
- currently are not infected with COVID-19
If you do not have any family members or close blood relatives diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you’re welcome to participate too!
If you believe you meet these criteria, are interested in participating, and would like to know more, please contact us!
Compensation will be provided for your time if the survey and imaging are successfully completed.
Thank you for your interest in the BIL Studies!
Visit procedures: During the in-person visit to our laboratory, you will be asked to sign an informed consent form, fill a brief eye health questionnaire, and then have images of your eyes taken by the FDA-approved device integrated with fiber optical imaging technology called optical coherent tomography (OCT) that has been widely used in eye and blood vessel imaging. All these research-related activities will take less than 30 minutes. The risks from this research will be no more than what you might normally come across during the standard-of-care eye exam.
Benefits: We hope the information we learn from this study will help physicians to treat eye problems in Alzheimer’s disease patients and develop efficient preventative measures against loss of eyesight in high-risk populations.
Reimbursement: As a compensation for your time, a $20 Amazon e-gift card will be issued for the first successfully completed eye imaging session and filled eye health questionnaire. If you decide to participate further, then $10 Amazon e-gift card will be issued for each subsequent eye imaging session.
Flexible Testing Times
- We are flexible and value your time!
- Appointment slots are available throughout the week or the weekend.
We have in-person testing, and are following best practices to keep everyone safe:
- Hand hygiene
- Personal Protective Equipment – masks, face shields
- Surface and equipment disinfection with products approved by the EPA
- Social distancing – for procedures that necessitate the violation of social distancing, we strictly follow the steps for minimizing exposure of researchers and participant.
- Health checklists
If you have any concerns, do not hesitate to contact us!
Location: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Biophotonics Imaging Laboratory – BIL
Room 3520 | Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
405 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801
Parking: Metered parking for University visitors is available on University streets and drives and in several lots and parking garages. Visitors must pay the established meter fee as designated on the meter. Pay by Phone and CashKey are convenient options. MobileMeter app also works.
Parking rates at Beckman parking lot using the MobileMeter app:
1 h - $1.45 (including convenience fee)
After 5:00 pm Friday through 6:00 am Monday, visitors may park in the following lots without a permit at no charge:
- B1 Springfield Avenue between Mathews and Goodwin
- B17 Harvey Street between Clark and Main
- C09 Chalmers and Sixth
- D09 Illinois and Lincoln
- E14 First Street and Kirby
- F23 Lincoln Avenue and Florida
- F28 Peabody and Dorner Drive
- B4 University and Mathews
- F29 Gregory and Dorner Drive
View on Campus Maps: https://www.parking.illinois.edu/maps/campus-parking-map