EDDMO Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Early Detection of Diabetic Macular Oedema
IRAS ID
197987
Contact name
Paul Knox
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research Support Office
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Increasing numbers of people have diabetes which can lead to loss of vision caused by diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic macular oedema (DMO) is a type of diabetic retinopathy that can lead to central visual loss. Recently, effective intravitreal injections that can treat DMO have become available. Therefore, the early detection of DMO, so that treatment can be initiated to minimise sight loss, is even more crucial. There is a well-established National Diabetic Eye Screening Programme in England that offers annual fundus photography to eligible patients. However, fundus photography is unable to detect DMO directly and as a result there are high rates of false positive referrals to the hospital eye service (HES) for assessment. A practical way forward would be to introduce an additional test to reduce unnecessary referrals. Recently, a test of global radial shape discrimination was developed based on the ability of participants to detect distortions in radial frequency patterns (essentially circles). This test has now been implemented on a relatively inexpensive handheld device (an Apple iPod Touch; handheld Radial Shape Discrimination - hRSD - test). Using a forced choice format, participants indicate which of four circles presented on the screen of the device is distorted. This study will evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the hRSD test to detect DMO.
REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NW/0163
Date of REC Opinion
29 Mar 2016
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion