Clinical Studies in Eye Health and Disease

About our research

 The Clinical Studies Group comprises a close collaboration of University staff with clinicians based in the St Paul’s Eye Unit in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Together, we have a long history of performing original and novel clinical studies, both leading and contributing to national and international multicentre randomised controlled trials, observational studies and technology development. Between 30 and 40 clinical studies are running at any one time in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular diseases, ocular oncology, ocular surface disease and glaucoma.

Highlights include

•  the Liverpool Diabetic Eye Study which led to the introduction of screening for diabetic eye disease in UK and worldwide
•  the VPDT and IVAN studies which led to the introduction of current therapy for AMDy

The Group is engaged with all major pharmaceutical companies developing treatments for ocular disease.

We have an active diagnostics research programme in which new methods of electrophysiology, functional vision measures, and methods of structural measurement are being applied to better detect important causes of visual disability.

Our international programme is based around key partnerships. Research conducted in Malawi with colleagues in the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and the College of Medicine, University of Malawi, has led to major advances in understanding malarial retinopathy. The growing burden of diabetic eye disease in sub-Saharan Africa is also being investigated. We are researching and developing new tampenade agents with colleagues in the University of Hong Kong.