Tag: Fight for Sight

A Nystagmus Network research workshop

UK Nystagmus Research Meeting takes place

Researchers and clinicians representing nystagmus centres of excellence from Cardiff, London, Plymouth, Sheffield and Southampton gathered in Birmingham on Friday 28 September as guests of the Nystagmus Network ahead of the charity’s annual Open Day to plan the way ahead for collaborative nystagmus research.

Jon Erichsen and Matt Dunn from Cardiff University, Maria Theodorou from Moorfields Eye Hospital, Dominic Burdon from the University of Plymouth, Helen Griffiths and Anne Bjerre from the University of Sheffield and Jay Self and Helena Lee from the University of Southampton met to share outcomes of their recent and ongoing research in a spirit of openness and with a view to forging ahead with ever greater collaborations between the centres in the future.

Also at the meeting were Neil Meemaduma, Head of Research at Fight for Sight and Nystagmus Network trustees from the charity’s research team.

Each team went on to present to delegates at the Nystagmus Network Open Day the following day and chat with families in the Research Hub.

Fight for Sight and the Nystagmus Network were delighted to be able to announce the successful recipients of three new joint funding grants for nystagmus research at the meeting.

Research funding will use iPads to identify the best method to manage nystagmus

Fight for Sight and The Nystagmus Network have announced funding for three exciting nystagmus research projects at the Nystagmus Network Conference, which is taking place today during National Eye Health Week 2018.

In total £30,000 in funding will be used for projects bringing benefits to children and adults living with the condition, which is characterised by involuntary and repetitive movements of the eye.

James Self at University of Southampton will be developing a new clinical test using an iPad app to measure a patient’s ability to identify faces in a crowd, one of the challenges of nystagmus. The aim is for the app accurately and effectively to diagnose patients and ensure they are offered the most appropriate support for their nystagmus.

Dr Matt Dunn from Cardiff University is being funded to research an improved diagnostic technique for nystagmus in children. Until now the challenge for patients has been keeping their eyes still while the test is performed. Dr Dunn will investigate a new technique that can be used while the eye is also moving, which could improve the earlier diagnosis of this condition in future.

Dr Mervyn Thomas from University of Leicester has been funded to investigate how nystagmus affects the clarity of vision of children living with the condition. The results from this study could directly impact the care and management of very young children with nystagmus.

Dr Neil Ebenezer, Director of Research, Policy and Innovation at Fight for Sight, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-lasting partnership with Nystagmus Network. Nystagmus is a condition which affects an estimated 1 in every 500 children in the UK, so we hope that funding these three research projects will directly benefit patients living with nystagmus.”

Vivien Jones, President and Founder of the Nystagmus Network and Chair of the Nystagmus Network Research Sub-committee, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be making these awards to research centres in the UK.  We hope the three research projects we are funding together with Fight for Sight will make progress in terms of improving diagnosis and prognosis, predicting future vision in infants and young children with nystagmus and developing a vision test that can be used in clinical trials of various therapies. All these projects fit our test of improving quality of life and we are very pleased to be able to support them.”

The Nystagmus Network nystagmus research conference is taking place today.

Fight for Sight partners with the Nystagmus Network for its next grant round

Fight for Sight has today announced a call for Small Grant Award applications. The UK’s leading eye research charity is this year able to offer thirteen awards to fund sight saving clinical research, ten of which are being jointly funded with other charities.

NEW THIS YEAR Fight for Sight / Nystagmus Network offer TWO Small Grant Awards

Two awards for clinical research projects focusing on quality of life or causes (including genetic), diagnostic testing / analysis or treatments.

Michele Acton, Fight for Sight’s Chief Executive, said: “Fight for Sight’s mission is to stop sight loss and we are delighted to be able to work in partnership with others to help deliver our mission.”

Find out more here.

Nystagmus Network and Fight for Sight fund two new nystagmus research projects

Nystagmus Network and Fight for Sight have partnered to fund research aimed at the early detection of nystagmus and improve the quality of life of those with nystagmus

Fight for Sight, the UK’s leading eye research charity, and Nystagmus Network, the foremost charity in the UK providing support and information about nystagmus, are working in partnership to fund research into a complex condition characterised by repeated involuntary movement of the eyes. Through the partnership, two research projects into nystagmus have been awarded.

Dr Lee Mcilreavy from Cardiff University will use the funding from Fight for Sight and the Nystagmus Network to determine whether a novel eye tracking approach can correctly identify the patterns of eye movement made by those with infantile nystagmus. This study could lead to a simple and child-friendly eye tracking test that does not rely on expensive technology. This has the potential to detect the condition earlier and allow children and families to receive an earlier diagnosis.

Dr Helen Griffiths, at the University of Sheffield, has been awarded funding to develop an image stabilisation technology in virtual reality (VR) to treat a troubling symptom called oscillopsia, where the individual perceives the world in a continuous and erratic motion due to involuntary movements of the eyes. She will work towards stabilising images on the retina in individuals with acquired nystagmus. A VR headset with integrated head tracking will be configured to track the direction of gaze. This data will be used to adjust the VR display in real time so that a stable view is projected onto the retina of the user, independent of eye orientation. For as long as the user wears the headset, the observed image will be stable. This alternative solution will offer relief to those who have this form of nystagmus.

Michele Acton, CEO of Fight for Sight, said: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Nystagmus Network to fund research into this complex eye condition. Both research projects have the potential to positively impact the lives of those living with nystagmus. Only by funding research will we begin to tackle nystagmus.

”Vivien Jones, President of the Nystagmus Network and Chair of the Nystagmus Network Research Sub-committee, said: “It is a pleasure to join with Fight for Sight in making this award to Cardiff University for their plan to develop a means of diagnosing infantile nystagmus in the community setting. We hope that this award will mean the plan can be brought to fruition with all the benefits this will bring to families in terms of more accessible diagnosis.

We are also delighted to join Fight for Sight to fund a project developed by the University of Sheffield to deal with one of the most distressing symptoms that can go with acquired nystagmus – oscillopsia, where the individual perceives the world in constant motion. Sheffield propose that a way of offering relief from this is through stabilisation of the image on the retina by developing image stabilisation technology in virtual reality (VR). This would be a major breakthrough for those who acquire nystagmus in later life, and who suffer from oscillopsia.”