NHS Institutions will ONLY accept UK residents for research trials, but some private clinics MAY consider overseas applicants on a case-by-case basis. All credible clinical studies will be registered on a publicly accessible online database:
- Europe – EU Clinical Trials Register
- Global – National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Trial Registry Please note that this website is not regulated, even though it is hosted by a US government institution. If you are considering joining a trial found on clinicaltrials.gov, always discuss it with your usual ophthalmologist or family doctor first to ensure that it is legitimate. Please also note that participation in a genuine clinical trial will never require payment.
If you are interested in taking part in a clinical study, you will need a referral from your eye doctor and you should discuss the study you are interested in with them to understand:
- Whether you have the form of the condition being studied
- What the purpose of the study is (i.e. not all trials are testing new treatments)
- Whether you meet the enrolment criteria
- Whether you can make the time / travel commitment to take part
A credible clinical trial will never ask you to pay to take part.
All clinical trials have strict guidelines about who can take part. Criteria for inclusion or exclusion from the trial usually include factors such as age, stage of disease, and possibly gene mutation. These criteria are essential to ensure that the trial produces reliable results and to help maintain participant safety.
There can also be strict criteria regarding location as there will be many follow-up appointments to provide aftercare and assess the success of the treatment. Retina UK cannot influence who can take part in clinical trials, even if we are supporting the researchers involved.
For the vast majority of people living with IRD, there is unfortunately no approved treatment available anywhere in the world.
Funding support
Retina UK CANNOT financially support individuals to participate in clinical trials. Neither are we able to assist with applications for residency or citizenship as these activities are outside of our charity objectives.
Keeping updated on research
You can join our mailing list to receive regular emails about research and the work of Retina UK.
You can also check our website news articles to find out the latest developments.
Join our next conference online or listen to the latest conference recording.