Uvescreen

UVESCREEN is a research study looking at how we can use imaging to help look for early signs of uveitis in children who are known to be at risk of this potentially blinding disorder.

On this page, you can find out more information about the study, and meet the team. 

Why are we doing this?

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) affects about 12,000 children in the UK. Up to a quarter of those children will also develop inflammation in the eyes (uveitis). Uveitis can lead to loss of vision if not detected and treated. The early stages of uveitis may happen without the child being aware that there is a problem, or at an age when the child is too young to talk about how their eyes feel. For this reason, children with JIA need eye checks every two to four months. This eye check is usually done in a hospital, where suitably trained specialists, examine the child’s eyes for signs of uveitis. Uveitis can also affect other children (those with inflammatory bowel disease, types of kidney disease, those who have such disorders running in the family, or even children who are otherwise completely well).

Optical coherence tomography, or OCTs, are cameras which are already in use at hospital eye clinics and high-street opticians for ‘back of the eye’ problems. OCTs provide highly detailed images of eye structures, and have been used to improve care and outcomes for many eye disorders. A newer modification (OCT of the front, ‘anterior segment’ of the eye, or AS-OCT) has recently been shown to be able to pick up even very mild anterior uveitis in children.

We want to find out if we can use the AS-OCT imaging machines to look for uveitis in children with JIA.

What are we doing?

We are currently working on a study called UVESCREEN1. This is a ‘feasibility’ study which has been designed to help us begin to understand exactly how effective AS-OCT is at picking up childhood uveitis when compared to routine examination by a specialist. We will recruit 80 children, aged 2-12 years, who have JIA and who need eye checks to detect uveitis. Feasibility studies are used to help design larger studies. The results from UVESCREEN1 will show us how to plan the larger study (UVESCREEN2) which is needed to give a stronger answer about how well AS-OCT works for children at risk of uveitis.

Who are the study team?

Dr Lola Solebo - Principal Investigator.

Find out more about Lola and her work

Sonali Dave - Lead study contact and researcher

Sonali is the main contact for the UVESCREEN study. She has recently finished her PhD in Optometry and Vision Sciences and she has a background in Psychology and Neuroscience.

Other members of the study team include Professor Jugnoo Rahi and Mr Harry Petrushkin 

Who funds this study?

This study is funded by Fight for Sight, a charity organisation that provide funding for research. You can find out more about them on their website. 

Where can I get more information?

If you would like more information, you can call us on +44 20 3987 2189, or email us at sonali.dave@ucl.ac.uk

This study has been approved by the NHS Health Research Authority