# Designing a Pragmatic Registry-based Randomized Controlled Trial for Open-Angle Glaucoma Treatment in the US

> **NIH NIH R34** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $491,429

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. There are significant disparities in
glaucoma prevalence, presentation, and treatment in the United States (US) by race and ethnicity, English
proficiency, and health insurance status. However, many published glaucoma clinical trials have not reflected
the level of diversity in the US population by race/ethnicity or socioeconomic disadvantage. Broad patient
representation in clinical trials is necessary to ensure that research conclusions are more generalizable to
actual patient populations in the US. Pragmatic registry-based randomized controlled trials (RRCT) are a low-
cost strategy to evaluate glaucoma intervention efficacy in routine settings and to more efficiently recruit
diverse patient populations that have not been well-represented in prior traditional randomized controlled trials
(RCTs). This study proposes a future pragmatic RRCT to obtain high-quality evidence comparing selective
laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) and medications in heterogenous, real-world populations, and with less cost and
complexity than conducting a traditional RCT. More evidence is needed to determine how first-line SLT
compares to medications in US patients with more advanced open-angle glaucoma, and in a more diverse
patient population with respect to race/ethnicity, English proficiency, and ocular comorbidities. The proposed
RRCT will include patients with newly diagnosed open-angle glaucoma, who are treatment-naïve, with any
level of English proficiency, and with active ocular comorbidities. This future trial will leverage the Intelligent
Research in Sight (IRIS) Registry® to identify patients for enrollment. Using a pragmatic approach, follow-up
care will closely mirror usual care. This R34 planning grant will lay the necessary foundation for this future
RRCT and determine its acceptability, methodology, and feasibility. The specific aims are: (1) to determine the
beliefs and attitudes of US glaucoma specialists and patients toward SLT versus medications using a mixed-
methods approach; (2) to refine the enrollment criteria, sample size and trial endpoint for the future RRCT
using retrospective data from the IRIS Registry; and (3) to develop and refine the study protocol, and to
evaluate the operational feasibility of the future RRCT by conducting a non-randomized feasibility study. This
planning grant will help prepare for a future pragmatic RRCT through the IRIS Registry and a UG1 submission.
In addition to answering questions crucial to the care of diverse patient populations, this future trial will
establish infrastructure vital to support additional pragmatic RRCTs in ophthalmology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10867985
- **Project number:** 1R34EY036161-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine Qing Sun
- **Activity code:** R34 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $491,429
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-06-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10867985

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10867985, Designing a Pragmatic Registry-based Randomized Controlled Trial for Open-Angle Glaucoma Treatment in the US (1R34EY036161-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10867985. Licensed CC0.

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