Clinical trials advance the quality of medical care and offer hope for patients who do not do well with current treatment options.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must approve a study before a treatment can be tested in humans.  After the study is completed, the results are presented to the FDA, which reviews them to decide whether the treatment should be made available to the public. 

 

More than 2000 patients have participated in clinical trials run by Retina Associates of Cleveland.  Participation in a trial at Retina Associates means that you will work with our expert research team, which includes physicians, nurses, technicians, and ophthalmic photographers.  You will be randomly assigned to either a control group or a treatment group.  Control group patients receive a currently accepted treatment, or, if none is available, no treatment.  Treatment group patients receive the study medication or treatment.

 

There are many incentives for participation, but there can be risks as well.  In order to make an informed decision about participating in medical research, you will want to be sure that you understand both the benefits and risks of participation and that your questions about the study have been answered by your doctor.