The UK clinical eye research strategy: refreshing research priorities for clinical eye research in the UK

Rupert R A Bourne^{1

2}, Malik Moledina³, Augusto Azuara-Blanco⁴, George M Saleh⁵, James E Self⁶, Sobha Sivaprasad⁷, Srilakshmi M Sharma⁸, Andrew Ross^{9

10}, Rose M Gilbert⁹, Maram E A Abdalla Elsayed⁸, Won Young Moon⁸, Manjo Doug¹¹, Pádraig J Mulholland^{12

13}, Alexander C Day¹², Vito Romano¹⁴, Geraldine V Hoad¹⁵, Madina Kara¹⁶, Ailish Murray¹⁷, Louise Gow¹⁸, Faruque Ghanchi¹⁹, Praveen J Patel¹², Richard P Gale²⁰, Christiana Dinah^{21

22}, Keith Valentine¹⁶, Cathy Yelf¹⁵, Vanessa Poustie²³; NIHR Ophthalmology Specialty Group; Executive Group of UK Clinical Eye Research Strategy

Collaborators, Affiliations

Collaborators

Affiliations

¹ Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. rb@rupertbourne.co.uk.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK. rb@rupertbourne.co.uk.
³ Imperial College NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁴ Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
⁵ Research, Cataract and Adnexal Dept, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
⁶ University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
⁷ NIHR Moorfields Clinical Research Facility, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
⁸ Dept of Ophthalmology, Oxford Eye Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK.
⁹ Department of Ophthalmology, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁰ Aswan University Hospital, Aswan, Egypt.
¹¹ Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
¹² NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK.
¹³ Centre for Optometry & Vision Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK.
¹⁴ Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
¹⁵ Macular Society, Andover, UK.
¹⁶ Fight for Sight, London, UK.
¹⁷ Moorfields Eye Charity, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
¹⁸ Eye care and living well services, Royal National Institute of Blind people, London, UK.
¹⁹ Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Royal Infirmary, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
²⁰ York Hospital, University of York, York, UK.
²¹ Department of Ophthalmology, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
²² Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
²³ NIHR Clinical Research Network, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

PMID: 38806699
PMCID: PMC11226710
DOI: 10.1038/s41433-024-03049-6

The UK clinical eye research strategy: refreshing research priorities for clinical eye research in the UK

Rupert R A Bourne et al. Eye (Lond). 2024 Jul.

. 2024 Jul;38(10):1947-1957.

doi: 10.1038/s41433-024-03049-6. Epub 2024 May 29.

Authors

Collaborators

Affiliations

¹ Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. rb@rupertbourne.co.uk.
² Department of Ophthalmology, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK. rb@rupertbourne.co.uk.
³ Imperial College NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁴ Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
⁵ Research, Cataract and Adnexal Dept, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
⁶ University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
⁷ NIHR Moorfields Clinical Research Facility, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
⁸ Dept of Ophthalmology, Oxford Eye Hospital, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Oxford, UK.
⁹ Department of Ophthalmology, Cambridge University Hospitals, Cambridge, UK.
¹⁰ Aswan University Hospital, Aswan, Egypt.
¹¹ Vision and Eye Research Institute, School of Medicine, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.
¹² NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK.
¹³ Centre for Optometry & Vision Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, UK.
¹⁴ Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences, and Public Health, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.
¹⁵ Macular Society, Andover, UK.
¹⁶ Fight for Sight, London, UK.
¹⁷ Moorfields Eye Charity, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, UK.
¹⁸ Eye care and living well services, Royal National Institute of Blind people, London, UK.
¹⁹ Bradford Teaching Hospitals, Royal Infirmary, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK.
²⁰ York Hospital, University of York, York, UK.
²¹ Department of Ophthalmology, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
²² Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, London, UK.
²³ NIHR Clinical Research Network, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.

PMID: 38806699
PMCID: PMC11226710
DOI: 10.1038/s41433-024-03049-6

Abstract

Objectives: To validate and update the 2013 James Lind Alliance (JLA) Sight Loss and Vision Priority Setting Partnership (PSP)'s research priorities for Ophthalmology, as part of the UK Clinical Eye Research Strategy.

Methods: Twelve ophthalmology research themes were identified from the JLA report. They were allocated to five Clinical Study Groups of diverse stakeholders who reviewed the top 10 research priorities for each theme. Using an online survey (April 2021-February 2023), respondents were invited to complete one or more of nine subspecialty surveys. Respondents indicated which of the research questions they considered important and subsequently ranked them.

Results: In total, 2240 people responded to the survey (mean age, 59.3 years), from across the UK. 68.1% were female. 68.2% were patients, 22.3% healthcare professionals or vision researchers, 7.1% carers, and 2.1% were charity support workers. Highest ranked questions by subspecialty: Cataract (prevention), Cornea (improving microbial keratitis treatment), Optometric (impact of integration of ophthalmic primary and secondary care via community optometric care pathways), Refractive (factors influencing development and/or progression of refractive error), Childhood onset (improving early detection of visual disorders), Glaucoma (effective and improved treatments), Neuro-ophthalmology (improvements in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurodegeneration affecting vision), Retina (improving prevention, diagnosis and treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration), Uveitis (effective treatments for ocular and orbital inflammatory diseases).

Conclusions: A decade after the initial PSP, the results refocus the most important research questions for each subspecialty, and prime targeted research proposals within Ophthalmology, a chronically underfunded specialty given the substantial burden of disability caused by eye disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Production team- please see Declarations at foot of this document listed for each consortium. This paper has not been published elsewhere previously and it is not simultaneously being considered for any other publication.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Proportion of healthcare practitioners (black bars) and non-healthcare practitioner respondents (grey bars) by gender, age and ethnicity.

**Fig. 2**
Most popular high priority question selected by respondents in each survey.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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The UK clinical eye research strategy: refreshing research priorities for clinical eye research in the UK

Collaborators

Affiliations

The UK clinical eye research strategy: refreshing research priorities for clinical eye research in the UK

Authors

Collaborators

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

Figures

References

MeSH terms

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources