Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41812852›Full record

Trial reportAmerican journal of ophthalmology2026

Randomized Pilot Study of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Neuropathic/Nociplastic Ocular Pain.

Chloe Shields, Sakina Qazi, Ana Zaldivar, Kimberly Cabrera, Simran Mangwani-Mordani, Haley Peterson, Shreya Bhatt, Fei Tang, Anat Galor, Elizabeth R Felix

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in American journal of ophthalmology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05531643 (A Pilot Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), which is not on this map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05531643 nacompletednot on this map

A Pilot Study of the Safety and Feasibility of Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) for Chronic Ocular Pain

TypeinterventionalSponsorVA Office of Research and DevelopmentRan2022 to 2024Enrolled39ConditionsEye PainArmsHigh frequency forehead TENS, Low frequency forehead TENS
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. A Scoping Review of Pharmacologic and Nonpharmacologic Interventions to Treat Chronic Ocular Pain.Journal of neuro-ophthalmology : the official journal of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society · 2026
    Article
  2. Neuropathic Corneal Pain and Blepharospasm: A Case Series.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Chloe ShieldsFrom the Surgical and Research Services (C.S., S.Q., A.G., E.R.F.), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, Florida, USA; Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (C.S., S.Q., S.M.M., A.G.), University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
Sakina QaziFrom the Surgical and Research Services (C.S., S.Q., A.G., E.R.F.), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, Florida, USA; Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (C.S., S.Q., S.M.M., A.G.), University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
Ana ZaldivarSouthern Winds Hospital (A.Z.), Hialeah, Florida, USA.
Kimberly CabreraIdaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (K.C.), Meridian, Idaho, USA.
Simran Mangwani-MordaniBascom Palmer Eye Institute (C.S., S.Q., S.M.M., A.G.), University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
Haley PetersonSt. George's University School of Medicine (H.P.), St. George's, Grenada.
Shreya BhattNova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (S.B.), Davie, Florida, USA.
Fei TangGeriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (F.T.), Miami VA Healthcare System, Miami, Florida, USA.
Anat GalorFrom the Surgical and Research Services (C.S., S.Q., A.G., E.R.F.), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, Florida, USA; Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (C.S., S.Q., S.M.M., A.G.), University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
Elizabeth R FelixFrom the Surgical and Research Services (C.S., S.Q., A.G., E.R.F.), Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, Florida, USA; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (E.R.F.), University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA. Electronic address: efelix@med.miami.edu.

Funding

Shared Equipment ModuleP30EY014801 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI Victor L Perez · 2004 to 2026
$12.2M
Differentiation of Clinical Phenotypes of Inflammatory and Neuropathic Ocular Pain Conditions with Morphologic Measures and Functional Brain ImagingU01EY034686 · NEI · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI Eric Alan Moulton · 2022 to 2026
$4.7M
Tear protein biomarkers of refractive surgery painR61EY032468 · NEI · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · PI AICHER, SUE A, GALOR, ANAT · 2020 to 2022
$2.0M
Dry Eye and MicroenvironmentR01EY026174 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI GALOR, ANAT, KUMAR, NARESH · 2016 to 2020
$1.9M
BLRD VA I01 BX004893CSRD VA I01 CX002015NEI NIH HHS P30 EY014801NEI NIH HHS R01 EY026174NEI NIH HHS R61 EY032468NEI NIH HHS U01 EY034686RRD VA I21 RX003883
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTranscutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) is a non-invasive, non-pharmacologic therapy with efficacy in treating chronic pain. This study evaluated the analgesic effectiveness of TENS in individuals with chronic neuropathic/nociplastic ocular pain (NOP) and explored predictors of response.

designProspective, randomized, controlled pilot study

participantsThirty-seven individuals (mean age 58 ± 12 years, 51% female) with moderate to severe chronic NOP.

methodsParticipants were randomized (2:1) to a 20-minute high-frequency TENS (hfTENS, 60 Hz) or low-frequency TENS (lfTENS, 3 Hz) intervention, delivered at the forehead three times/week, for six months. Study visits occurred at baseline, three, and six months, during which data from ocular symptom questionnaires, quantitative sensory testing (QST), and ocular examinations were collected.

main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was change in ratings of pain intensity (0-10 numerical rating scale [NRS]). Secondary outcomes included changes in other measures of NOP symptom severity, QST metrics assessing evoked somatosensory sensitivity, and ocular signs (eg, corneal staining).

resultsBoth hfTENS and lfTENS significantly reduced eye pain intensity acutely (within 24-hours of initial treatment), and hfTENS produced long-lasting improvements in the NPSI-Eye subscores of pressing pain (2.50 [5.50] to 1.50 [2.50], p = .03) and paroxysmal pain (1.50 [3.50] to 0.00 [1.50], P = .02) at three months, though without corresponding changes in NRS scores of generalized ocular pain intensity. No changes were noted at six months, and neither intervention impacted ocular exam findings at any time point. Significant baseline predictors of long-term TENS response included lower NPSI-Eye scores and lower sensitivity to noxious heat stimuli.

conclusionsBoth hfTENS and lfTENS effectively reduced NOP short-term, with hfTENS also demonstrating sustained analgesia for neuropathic-like symptoms at three months. Baseline NOP severity and cutaneous sensitivity were predictive of treatment response and suggest reduced disruption of central pain modulatory mechanisms is efficacious for susceptibility to hfTENS analgesia. Together, the results from this pilot study highlight the potential of TENS as a neuromodulatory treatment for NOP, warranting future studies to guide patient selection and optimization of therapeutic benefit. CLINICAL

trial registrationPilot Study of TENS for Ocular pain; NCT05531643.

Indexed as

Eye PainNeuralgiaNociplastic PainTranscutaneous Electric Nerve StimulationAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementPilot ProjectsProspective StudiesSurveys and QuestionnairesTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID41812852
PMCPMC13408970

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceTDM
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.