Cochrane Eyes and Vision

History

CEV was registered as a Cochrane group in 1997, with its editorial base at the Centre for Public Health at Queen's University Belfast, funded by the HSC Research and Development (R&D) Division of the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland. The coordinating editors are Jennifer Evans, John Lawrenson, and Gianni Virgili. In 2019, Eye began featuring CEV reviews to reach a wider readership. A US satellite branch was created in 2002 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, led by Professor Kay Dickersin until 2018, when Dr Tianjing Li took over; it is now at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, funded by the National Eye Institute. In 2011, a satellite branch was set up at the University of Florence in Italy, focusing on diagnostic test accuracy reviews and led by Professor Gianni Virgili. Since 2016, CEV has partnered with the American Academy of Ophthalmology to update preferred practice pattern guidelines, and with the American Glaucoma Society for research collaboration. CEV works closely with the Wilmer Eye Institute and the Byers Eye Institute as CEV Centers for Evidence-based Vision Care. The organization has conducted over 190 systematic reviews, covering topics such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataract, patching for corneal abrasion, eyesight screening for visual impairment in the elderly, vitamin supplements for cataracts, NSAIDS for macular edema, antimetabolites for trabeculectomy, and antiviral agents for herpes simplex virus. Past funders include The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, Macular Society, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and Sightsavers.