Principal Investigator is the person in charge of a research study (they may or may not be a doctor)
Ophthalmologists (sometimes called Research Fellows or Investigators) are medical doctors who specialise in eye care, eye conditions or disorders
Optometrists (opticians) are eye care professionals who specialise in testing your eye sight (vision)
Imaging technicians and photographers are eye care professionals who take different types of pictures or scans or images of the eye
Orthoptists assess eye problems that relate to the movement of the eyes and how the eyes work together
Nurses and health care assistants support lots of tests and focus on patient safety. They often teach you and your family how to do parts of the research. Nurses are always in the research department if you have questions.
Study coordinators: Your study coordinator will book all your visits and tests. They can also help find the right person to answer your questions.
Health play specialists work with children and young people of all ages to help prepare and support them in hospital. They can talk through any worries you may have. They can help prepare you for tests or procedures. They have games or arts / crafts you can play with while you are waiting. They have fidget / sensory toys if these could help you feel relaxed. They can help make your visit fun!
To coordinate how we book and schedule rooms, staff, and patients, we use a digital system called the ‘CRF Planner’. Staff ‘check in’ and ‘check out’ of their slots on our computers so we can see where each patient is and where each member of staff is and what is happening next. Each member of staff will see many patients from different studies in one day - depending on which slots they are booked for.