The launch of the strategy is also well timed given that Ophthalmology is a rapidly growing research area in the UK, recruiting 10-15,000 patients to research trials annually involving most hospital Trusts in the UK. Ophthalmology has the largest demand on outpatient departments in the country and this is increasing. The strategy will help tailor research to meet this demand, exploring the areas of unmet need in the population and facilitating a non-commercial and commercial ‘research pipeline’ of therapies and technologies, which should encourage more coordinated funding streams.
The main aim of this funded initiative will be to establish and operate the Clinical Study Groups (CSG) through their recently appointed Chairs within five ophthalmology subspecialties (supported by a coordinator, Manjo Doug) and the ophthalmologists-in-training:
1. Cornea, refractive error and lens – George Saleh
2. Glaucoma – Augusto Azuara-Blanco
3. Paediatric ophthalmology and neuro-ophthalmology – Jay Self
4. Retina – Sobha Sivaprasad
5. Uveitis – Srilakshmi Sharma
6. Ophthalmologists-in-training – Ali Ghareeb and Liying Low