Have you ever been asked to take part in scientific research, but it wasn’t obvious how your involvement would help, or why you were doing it?
Last week, Optometrist Dr Jasleen Jolly joined us at Bradbury Lodge to talk about how her research has influenced the development of new treatments and clinical care.
There are two main types of medical studies: intervention studies and research studies. Intervention studies lead directly to the development of new treatments, while research studies are focused on obtaining information. Whilst research studies don’t directly lead to new treatments, they do provide vital knowledge which then informs the development of intervention studies, leading to the development of new treatments which can be used clinically.
Dr Jolly’s non-invasive research studies involve retinal scans, MRI scans, and the observation of people performing certain tasks. However, Dr Jolly said that it is often difficult to recruit people for many of her studies as they struggle to see the impact their participation will have. People tend to be more eager to participate in a study that could directly help them with their condition.
Research studies are a crucial part of a long process, but they are critical for advancing knowledge. Dr Jolly outlined that, “up to 1/3 of treatment trials fail because they haven’t taken all of the necessary background steps.”
Dr Jolly is actively looking for people with many different visual impairments who would like to participate in her studies. She is also currently recruiting for an MRI study looking at Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Dr Jolly said, “this is an opportunity to ask questions. We want to support to continue our research, and even if we can’t directly help, we can still give you advice and information.”
If you, or anyone you know, would like to participate in one of Dr Jolly’s studies, contact Jasleen.jolly@eye.ox.ac.uk.
