The following pieces of eye health research are being carried out which LOCs and their members might be interested in participating.
Please note that we do not endorse any of the research included on this page.
Please see information on current and important optical sector studies which your LOC, constituents and/or their patients may wish to engage in.
Myopia Management Practice Survey
Increasing numbers of treatment and monitoring options are becoming available to manage progressive myopia in children and young people. In preparation for a future clinical trial of different treatment modalities, such as peripheral-plus spectacle and dual-focus contact lenses, Moorfields would like to find out which treatments and assessments are currently used in the UK, and how a trial could be run in high-street/optometry settings.
Participation and next steps: complete the 3-minute survey – this is open for UK-wide responses. Closes 30 June 2025.
Red Light Myopia Study
A proof-of-concept / early dose-finding study is currently open to enrolment and looking for children:
- Living in London,
- Aged 5-12 years,
- With myopia between -1 and -6D in both eyes,
- With good vision in both eyes (no amblyopia),
- Who are not using myopia control specs or contacts.
Participation: participants in the study would need to attend Moorfields in London 3 times over 3 months for assessments. More information for children and parents is available on the study website at redlightmyopia.com, including a video. Flyers are also available for interested families and can be posted to optometrists to display in their practices.
Next steps: optometrists can direct parents of children who meet the criteria to visit website: redlightmyopia.com, or email moorfields.myopia@nhs.net for more information.
COSMYC Study
The COSMYC study aims to improve myopia research and involves asking children and young people, their parents/caregivers, optometrists, and researchers what they think is important to look at in a future trial of new treatments that slow down the worsening of short-sightedness.
Participation: optometrists who register and are included in the study will be invited to online interviews which take around 30 minutes. They will receive a £25 thankyou voucher to spend on Amazon. The interviewer will ask about their experience with managing myopia, and which questions they think a trial should answer.
Next steps: register your interest here.
Are you an optometrist or dispensing optician accredited to provide the Easy Eyecare Pathway?
If yes, we would like to hear your thoughts and any experiences of delivering the service for autistic people.
Autistic adults can face a variety of challenges when accessing standard eye examinations. Researchers at The University of Manchester are investigating if the Easy Eyecare Pathway facilitates more accessible eyecare for autistic people.
To take part, you need to be an optometrist or dispensing optician accredited to deliver the Easy Eyecare Pathway. You will be invited to an online focus group to understand how prepared and supported you feel in seeing autistic patients as part of the pathway. The focus group will take about 1 hour and you will be reimbursed to for your time. We will do our best to accommodate a convenient date/time for you.
This study is being conducted by Dr Ketan Parmar, Dr Emma Gowen, Dr Sarah Rhodes and Dr Kathy Leadbitter (The University of Manchester), and Lisa Donaldson (SeeAbility).
For more information, please contact: ketan.parmar@manchester.ac.uk. This study has received approval from The University of Manchester’s Research Ethics Committee.