Eyes: Research

(asked on 23rd February 2015) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will increase funding for eye care research to tackle eye-related health conditions.


Answered by
George Freeman Portrait
George Freeman
This question was answered on 2nd March 2015

Investment in eye-related research by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has increased from £7.1 million in 2009/10 to £15.6 million in 2013/14.

As a major part of its investment in this field, the NIHR has awarded £26.5 million over five years (2012-17) to the NIHR biomedical research centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Institute of Ophthalmology.

Recently-approved new major NIHR investment includes a £2.2 million study of early detection of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and a £1.4 million randomised comparison of femtosecond laser assisted and manual phacoemulsification cataract surgery for adults with visually significant cataract.

The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including eye care. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

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