From systematic reviews and case study evaluations to exploring the efficacy of new treatments and approaches to eye care, clinical research is crucial to the advancement of optometry. 

“Clinical research is currently regarded as the most effective and trustworthy mechanism to find out which treatments work better than others, which clinical tests are most informative, and which patients are at most risk of eye diseases and disorders in the future,” says Professor Jeremy Guggenheim MCOptom, Professor in Myopia Research at Cardiff University’s School of Optometry and Vision Sciences.

Recent studies funded by the College demonstrate the impact of clinical studies, not only on optometry practice but on healthcare as a whole. For example, the NICER (Northern Ireland Childhood Errors of Refraction) study has contributed to the global academic and industry response to the World Health Organization’s declaration identifying myopia as a significant worldwide public health concern (McCullough et al, 2016).