10 reasons to delve into research

3 December 2021
Acuity digital

Kathy Oxtoby looks at the benefits research brings for practitioners and patients and how to get involved.

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). 

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Related further reading

Tell us your views in the Voice of the Eyecare Provider 2024 survey, before 18 October.

The College’s Research Excellence Awards recognise achievements in optometric research, and the way in which they enrich the whole profession.

The College and Eye Research Group Oxford are collaborating to bring you a webinar on Monday 24 June, on how optometrists can get involved in research.