Clinical Ophthalmology

Real World Evidence in Retina: Bridging Clinical Trials and Everyday Practice

Clinical trials remain the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy and safety of medical interventions. The findings from these studies have shaped contemporary treatment paradigms and continue to guide evidence-based clinical practice worldwide. However, clinical trials are conducted under carefully controlled conditions and therefore represent idealized treatment environments. In contrast, real-world data (RWD) are derived from observational and non-experimental sources that reflect routine clinical practice.

Unlike clinical trials, adherence to predefined treatment protocols can be challenging in everyday clinical settings. Real-world studies help elucidate the barriers patients encounter in accessing and adhering to treatment, as well as the impact of these factors on clinical outcomes. Furthermore, by encompassing diverse populations with varying comorbidities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and concomitant treatments, real-world evidence has highlighted the limitations of a "one-size-fits-all" approach to patient care. With the increasing emphasis on personalized and individualized treatment strategies, the relevance of real-world evidence continues to grow.

This Article Collection welcomes original research articles, clinical studies, systematic and narrative reviews, and other contributions focused on real-world evidence in retinal diseases. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Diabetic retinopathy and its complications
• Neovascular age-related macular degeneration
• Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy
• Retinal vein occlusion
• Other common retinal disorders

We particularly encourage submissions exploring real-world outcomes associated with newer long-acting anti-VEGF therapies, biosimilars, intravitreal corticosteroids, comparative effectiveness analyses of different treatment agents and protocols, and studies examining the emerging role of optical coherence tomography (OCT), OCT angiography (OCTA), and other imaging biomarkers in guiding clinical decision-making. Research addressing treatment adherence, healthcare disparities, patient-reported outcomes, and healthcare resource utilization is also encouraged.

By bringing together these diverse perspectives, this Collection aims to provide a comprehensive overview of contemporary real-world evidence in retinal disease management. We hope it will serve as a valuable resource for clinicians, researchers, and healthcare policymakers, fostering innovation, informing clinical practice, and ultimately improving patient outcomes.

Submission Instructions:

During submission (in step 2 "About paper"), you will see a question asking "Are you interested in submitting to an article collection?" Please select the radio dial for "Yes". Then select "Real World Evidence in Retina: Bridging Clinical Trials and Everyday Practice" from the drop down menu.

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo full peer review; Guest Advisors will not be handling submitted articles. Please review the journal’s aims and scope and author submission instructions prior to submission. Standard Article Publishing Charges apply.

Authors interested in the responsible use of AI should review Taylor & Francis's AI policies.

If you have any questions about this Article Collection, please contact Krista Thom at Krista.Thom@taylorandfrancis.com.

Guest Advisors:

Dr. Somnath Chakraborty is the Lead Vitreoretinal Surgeon and Head of the Clinical Research Department at Retina Institute of Bengal in India. A distinguished academician, Dr. Chakraborty has authored 25 articles in prestigious national and international peer-reviewed journals. His research interests encompass retinal imaging, diabetic retinopathy, biosimilars, and the pachychoroid disease spectrum.

Dr. Jay Sheth is the Lead Vitreoretinal Surgeon and Head of the Clinical Research Department at Shantilal Shanghvi Eye Institute in India. A distinguished academician, Dr. Sheth has authored over 60 articles in prestigious national and international peer-reviewed journals. His research interests encompass retinal imaging, diabetic retinopathy, biosimilars, and the pachychoroid disease spectrum.

Disclosure Statement: Neither Dr. Chakraborty nor Dr. Sheth declare any conflicts of interest.