Ophthalmology is a rapidly growing research area in the UK, involving most NHS Trusts and recruiting 10-15,000 patients to research trials annually. Ophthalmology has the largest demand on outpatient departments in the country and this demand is increasing.
The UK-wide Ophthalmology Clinical Research Strategy will help tailor research to meet this demand, exploring the areas of unmet need in the population in order to identify key areas for research, which should encourage more tailored funding streams.
The Strategy is managed by an Executive Board which is chaired by Professor Rupert Bourne, ex-NIHR Clinical Research Network National Specialty Lead for Ophthalmology.
In order to understand specific unmet needs, groups called ‘Clinical Study Groups’ (CSGs) have been established to answer questions on each specific research area. These groups are made up of both professional and patient representatives who are considered experts in the following areas of Ophthalmology: cornea, refractive error and lens, glaucoma, paediatric ophthalmology, retina, uveitis, and neuro-ophthalmology.
These CSGs will lead on the re-evaluation of the James Lind Sight Loss and Vision Priority Setting Partnership, with a view to ensure the priorities are relevant and create informed research queries using what’s known as the population/ problem, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) framework.
The CSGs will also offer peer-review support for new study ideas and support to develop studies to attract external funding, as well as reaching out to specialties linked to Ophthalmology (such as Ageing, Dementias and Diabetes research) to further the collaborations needed to improve patient and population outcomes.