The TRIAGE Study: Identifying Non-Responders to Glaucoma Eye Drops
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility and Acceptability of a new Clinical Pathway for the Identification of Non-Responders to Glaucoma Eye Drops (the TRIAGE study)
IRAS ID
232242
Contact name
Heather Waterman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 7 months, 30 days
Research summary
Patients with glaucoma have high pressure in their eyes (intraocular pressure, IOP) for which initial treatment is the administration of eye drops on a daily basis to reduce the pressure. If untreated, this high pressure can lead to blindness. When a patient with glaucoma returns to clinic and continues to have high pressure, it is unknown whether this is because of the way their eye works or because they are not using the eye drops properly. In the NHS at present, it can take many months to distinguish between those who respond to eye drops and those who do not. This is wasteful of time and medicines, as well as increasing the risk that patients develop adverse drug reactions when alternative drugs are tried, rather than addressing the true problem of adherence. We propose a new way of working (the Cardiff Model of Glaucoma Care, CMGC) which will mean, at most, two extra clinic visits (soon after being prescribed eye drops for the first time and four weeks later). At four weeks, patients will know whether their treatment works for them. After which, patients will return to their original clinic where those who do not respond to treatment will have the opportunity to discuss alternate treatment. The ultimate goal of this research is to reduce the time taken to identify whether patients respond to eye drops from a current uncertain, lengthy period of months to within four weeks, and thereby personalise eye medication to individuals with glaucoma more efficiently than is currently practiced in the NHS. The aim of this stage of the research is to develop and test the appropriateness of a new way of identifying people for whom eye drops do not work.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/WM/0404
Date of REC Opinion
16 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion