Second eye screening system for patients with sight loss caused by AMD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Strategies for preserving good vision in the second eyes of patients who have had irreversible vision loss from macular degeneration in their first eyes – Delivery and outcome of second eye screening system.
IRAS ID
153494
Contact name
Nirodhini Narendran
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust
Research summary
Wet Age related Macular Degeneration (wAMD) is a leading cause of blindness in western countries. In the Wolverhampton area, over 1000 patients with wAMD currently undergo regular treatment to maintain vision with intravitreal injections of Ranibizumab. Patients typically present with unilateral wAMD in the first eye, the risk of second eye involvement is about 20% per year.
The rationale for a screening system for early detection of wAMD in second eyes lies in the potential for better visual outcome when wAMD is treated promptly prior to development of irreversible scarring and photoreceptor loss in the macula.
The study targets patients who have wAMD in one eye and have good vision in the fellow remaining eye which is at high risk of developing wAMD. This patient population has the most to gain from therapy if good visual outcome in their remaining fellow eye can be achieved as a result of early diagnosis and prompt commencement of intravitreal therapy.
Detection and diagnosis of wAMD is possible with non-invasive Ocular coherence tomography (OCT) supplemented where necessary with indocyanine green and fluorescein angiography which are invasive but low risk procedures.
Participants will routinely be reviewed in the Wolverhampton macular clinic every three months for a vision check and OCT scan in keeping with current NHS reassessment protocols for patients receiving intravitreal injections of Ranibizumab for wAMD. In-between these visits the patient will receive a short monthly telephone interview enquiring about the presence of symptoms and requiring them to perform short self-administered visual assessments. Interviews that indicate new symptoms in keeping with the onset of wAMD will trigger a prompt clinical assessment in the hospital.
The study will monitor patients for a twelve month period and where wAMD is detected in the second eye, treatment will be administered as per the current local NHS pathway.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/YH/1042
Date of REC Opinion
5 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion