Chief medical officer for Wales attends Centre for Vision Services Research launch

The chief medical officer for Wales delivered a keynote address at the official launch of the Centre for Vision Services Research (Cardiff University, 26 January).

The new facility brings together researchers, clinicians and partner organisations from across the UK to shape the future of eye care research and services.

Speaking at the event, Centre for Vision Services Research director, Professor Barbara Ryan, emphasised the importance of collective action in improving vision services.

“We need everyone on this journey to work with us and collaborate with us,” she said.

Chief medical officer for Wales, Professor Isabel Oliver, highlighted the “critical role” that the centre has to play.

“What excites me the most is not just its great ambition, but a clear focus on equity, transformation and implementation,” she said.

A research showcase featured a range of speakers including Centre for Vision Services Research deputy director, Dr Jennifer Acton, University of South Wales associate professor, Dr Mark Davies and Aneurin Bevan University Health Board ophthalmology consultant, Rhiannon Reynolds.

At the event, Sara Crowley shared her experience of living with retinopathy alongside Type 1 diabetes.

The establishment of the Centre for Vision Services Research was supported by a five-year £1,746,729 grant from Health and Care Research Wales.

It was part of a broader £49 million investment by Health and Care Research Wales in research infrastructure, funding 17 research centres across Wales.