Eye health experts to review research priorities
Posted: Tuesday 17 May 2022
Eye experts across the UK are calling for your input to refresh research priorities for patients, relatives, carers and eye health professionals.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has launched a new survey designed to refresh the James Lind Alliance Sight Loss and Vision research priorities that were first published in 2013.
Despite ongoing eye research taking place across the world, there are still many questions about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of sight loss and eye conditions that remain unanswered.
While funding for research is limited, it is important for funders to understand the unanswered questions of greatest importance to patients, relatives, carers and eye health professionals so that future research can be targeted accordingly.
Following a review of the existing eye research priorities by the NIHR Ophthalmology Specialty group and the UK Clinical Eye Research Strategy earlier this year, a survey has been developed to help fine tune which of the 98 potential research questions should be taken forward as part of the refresh.
The UK Clinical Eye Research Strategy has been set up to increase both the capacity and availability of new clinical studies in the UK and has been funded by the Macular Society, Fight for Sight and Moorfields Eye Charity.
Professor Rupert Bourne, NIHR national specialty lead for ophthalmology, said: “It’s almost 10 years since the UK last published its eye research priorities and progress has been made in learning more about each of those 12 key areas that were set at the time. This survey is designed to help us assess whether these are still the right priorities for us to be focusing our attention on, and to delve deeper into some of those, or whether there are new areas of eye research that we now need to make a priority.
“We are encouraging all those with an interest in eye health and research to take part in the survey to help shape the direction of future eye research.”
The Eye Research Priority survey is open to all patients, carers and members of the public, as well as eye health professionals and researchers. It will be open until 9 August 2022.
The survey feedback will inform the final Top 10 updated priorities across different eye sub-specialties, including age-related macular degeneration.