Research priorities relating to eye movement disorders after stroke: Report of an expert panel

Background Eye movement disorders may affect over 70% of stroke survivors, negatively impacting on function and rehabilitation. On 20 September 2013, the Scottish Vision and Stroke Network hosted a meeting of experts in the field of vision, eye movement disorders, stroke care and research, with the aim of agreeing shared research priorities relating to eye movement disorders after stroke. Methods Research priorities were established based on James Lind Alliance methods. Prior to the workshop, a request for unanswered research questions was circulated in the UK via email. Workshop participants worked in three independent groups to discuss each of the submitted questions and reach an agreement on ranked priorities. Ranked questions from the groups were merged and questions with the highest rankings identified. Disagreements between the rankings of each group were highlighted. Participants then discussed and reached an agreement on the wording and prioritisation of the questions ranked highest by all three groups. Results Eight top research questions were identified, which included three broad areas: i) prevalence and incidence of eye movement disorders after stroke; ii) the development of effective screening and assessment measures to accurately identify eye movement disorders following stroke; iii) the functional and social impact of eye movement disorders in stroke survivors. Conclusions Several projects are currently ongoing and planned across the UK, and research priorities are likely change as evidence is produced, questions are answered and more uncertainties identified. To inform timely and effective treatments and services, clinicians, researchers and research funding bodies should work collaboratively to address research that is agreed to be of the highest priority.