£1.7 million funding boost to establish Centre for Vision Services Research in Wales

A £1,746,729 funding injection from Health and Care Research Wales (HCRW) will be used to establish a Centre for Vision Services Research.

The initiative will be based at Cardiff University’s School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, bringing together researchers from Cardiff University, Swansea University, Bangor University and the University of South Wales.

The five-year grant comes as part of a £49 million investment by HCRW in research infrastructure, funding 17 research centres across Wales.

A multi-disciplinary team will contribute to the work of the Centre for Vision Services Research, including optometrists, ophthalmologists, ophthalmic nurses, social workers, health economists and researchers.

The centre’s research will focus on five priority areas: reducing hospital eye service waiting lists; transforming sight impairment and rehabilitation pathways; advancing person-centred outcome measures; optimising care intervals, risk profiling and new technologies; and improving vision care for vulnerable populations.

Announcing the investment, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles, emphasised that research has a “critical role” to play in improving health outcomes.

“I hope it provides real evidence over the next five years, which will help shape services and care for people across Wales,” he shared. 

Deputy head of Cardiff University’s School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Professor Barbara Ryan, shared her hope that the new centre will support the evidence-based development of UK eye care services and rehabilitation for visual impairment.

“While its operations are based in Wales, the centre has established collaborations with a number of international researchers and will harness expertise and learning from other countries’ health and care environments,” she said.