COVID DMO Injection Deferral
Research type
Research Study
Full title
IMPACT OF DEFERRING INTRA-VITREAL INJECTIONS FOR DIABETIC MACULAR OEDEMA UNDER THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Study to ascertain the impact of deferring intra-vitreal injections for diabetic macular oedema under the COVID-19 pandemic at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
IRAS ID
285813
Contact name
Ranjan Rajendram
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Moorfields Eye Hospital
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
GR001223, Moorfields Eye Charity
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is a leading cause of permanent visual impairment among people with diabetes. Intra-vitreal administration of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF) constitutes the standard of care for this condition and requires regular (monthly) injections.
For this study we will look at the effect of disruption to steroid injections for DMO. Steroid injections or implants (dexamethasone or Fluocinolone) are thought to act by reducing inflammation and thus leakage from fluid retinal blood vessels into the retina. They are thought to have a longer duration of effect than the anti-VEGF injections. However, the steroid injections have additional side effects such as cataract or raised intraocular pressure and may not be selected as an option if the patient or doctor has concerns about the suitability of the treatment. This may be particularly of concern during COVID, when regular visits to the clinic for pressure checks may not be advisable or possible.
The disruptive effect of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in deferral of most routine clinical services in the UK, including anti-VEGF injections for DMO, with largely unknown clinical outcomes in the future.We therefore aim to systematically investigate the short- and intermediate-term outcomes (related to vision) of such deferral in a large cohort of individuals with DMO referred to Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, for anti-VEGF and steroid injections.
REC name
London - London Bridge Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/PR/0530
Date of REC Opinion
19 Oct 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion