Moorfields Advanced Glaucoma Natural History Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Natural History Study of Detailed Visual Function and Imaging in Advanced Glaucoma
IRAS ID
343249
Contact name
Joshua Luis
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Moorfields Eye hospital
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide and is predicted to affect 111.8 million people by 2040. Advanced glaucomais found in up to 40% of newly diagnosed patients and can also develop in a significant proportion of established patients despite active management. The natural history of advanced glaucoma remains relatively poorly understood, in large part due to limitations in sensitivity and intensity of standard clinical examinations and diagnostic tests. Novel treatments, such as stem-cell and gene therapy, offer the exciting prospect of improving vision for the first time in the field of glaucoma. Therefore, there is an urgent need to characterise and robustly validate testing methods in this patient population at a level of detail expected by licensing authorities.
The proposed study will utilise a series of well-established clinical assessments with specific modifications tailored to advanced glaucoma. Additional testing including electrophysiology and vision-guided mobility testing will also be evaluated, as these have proven to be useful in first-in-man gene therapy assessments. Detailed analysis of these testing methods will identify key features and if present any evidence of change in a cohort of patients with stable advanced glaucoma at a much higher level of detail compared to standard clinical protocols.
The output of this work is anticipated to significantly impact the identification of the types and frequency of relevant assessments associated with advanced glaucoma. Additionally, this work could have a clear impact in identifying, monitoring and appropriately treating glaucoma patients who have a high risk of progressing to advanced disease.
Finally, the proposed study will also support the ability to develop a range of new innovative treatments, such as first-in-man stem-cell therapies, which aim to improve the vision for the first time in patients with advanced glaucoma.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
24/WA/0321
Date of REC Opinion
21 Oct 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion