The Pendleton Eye Center has been participating in national clinical trials since 2006, primarily in the areas of dry eye disease, inflammation, and infection. Our team is most often involved in phase III clinical trials, which compare the safety and effectiveness of the new treatment against the current standard treatment. Past trials have included Upneeq, the now FDA approved treatment for droopy eye lids; Eysuvis, the now FDA approved short-term treatment for dry eye, as well as a number of phase III trials for pain and inflammation post cataract surgery.
Sponsoring agencies have included the National Institutes for Health and leading ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies such as Bausch and Lomb, Allergan and Alcon. We have also assisted non-ophthalmic research studies by performing in-depth ophthalmic evaluations of patients receiving oral medications for a variety of non-ophthalmic disorders, and Dr. Pendleton has been trained in the LOCS III method of cataract classification.
Participating in clinical trials has benefited our office in many ways. As part of the clinical research process, our records, equipment, and internal processes are scrutinized by regulatory agencies including the FDA, independent clinical research specialists, the pharmaceutical industry, and peer clinical research associates ensuring that we adhere to the highest standards of quality and reproducibility, and that we maintain the utmost integrity. Dr. Robert Pendleton’s primary mandate is to ensure patient safety, and this serves as an important reminder of the sage physician adage of “first, do no harm.” The oversite and self-reflection necessary to adhere to strict clinical research standards adds to our professionalism, enhances our patient-oriented focus, and serves as an acknowledgment of our dedication to excellence in patient care.
Please contact our Research Coordinator, Debra McCluskey at extension 6, for more information on current clinical research studies. A comprehensive list of clinical research studies can also be found at The National Institute of Health and ClinicalTrials.gov, a resource provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
