A two-year, open label, randomized, parallel group, blinded assessment ophthalmologic safety study of pramipexole ir versus ropinirole in early Parkinson’s disease patients 

This study will look at two Parkinson’s disease (PD) medications in subjects with early PD. Both medications are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the signs and symptoms of PD. Both medications are dopamine agonists (drugs that stimulate the parts of the brain that receive dopamine, an important substance that carries signals between nerve cells). This research study will enroll about 300 subjects in the United States. About 15 subjects will participate at Rush University Medical Center. If you qualify and decide to participate, you will be asked to come for study visits over the next 24 months (two years). Some of the visits will take several hours (at least a half day) to complete, depending on the number of tests and evaluations done at the visit.  Besides seeing the study doctor (neurologist), you will be required to visit an eye doctor for eye exams and testing four times over the next two years.

You may be eligible to participate in this study if you:

• Have had a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease for less than seven years (staged 1-3)
• Have a maximum of six months lifetime exposure to dopaminergic therapy
• Are age 30 years or older

This is a partial list of eligibility requirements.