New research facility to boost eye research at Guy's and St Thomas'

A new state-of-the-art clinical eye research facility opened at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust on 22 November.

The King’s College London (KCL) Frost Eye Research Unit at St Thomas’ Hospital will support researchers in their work developing advanced treatments and add to our understanding of how eye conditions which cause blindness develop.

Researchers and architects worked together to design a facility specifically intended for clinical trials for patients with eye conditions, which includes features such as ‘dark walls’ for low light studies and bespoke ergonomic shelves designed to accommodate specialist equipment. The new space has been created to provide a professional and comfortable space for researchers, patients and trial participants.

The Unit, which was funded by KCL and the T.F.C. Frost Charitable Trust, was opened by Professor Lucilla Poston of KCL’s School of Life Course Sciences. She said: “Guy’s and St Thomas’ is one of the country’s leading NHS trusts for the quality and quantity of the research it produces.

“This new unit is another example of King’s College London working in partnership with the Trust to provide the best possible support for our researchers while also providing a welcoming environment for patients and trial volunteers.”

Guy’s and St Thomas’ has a long tradition of excellence in research into eye diseases, having carried out some of the first trials of laser eye surgery 25 years ago. In 2006, the Trust’s Glaucoma Service was established under the leadership of Kim Sheng Lim and in 2011 Professor Chris Hammond was appointed to the Frost Professorship, a joint position with King’s College London, with a mandate to expand eye research at the Trust. 

He said: “In 2016-17 Guy’s and St Thomas’ recruited the second largest number of patients to eye research studies in the country. We’ve tripled our research output since 2008 and this new unit will help us to accelerate that rate of growth while continuing to provide the best new treatments for our patients.”

Find out more about research at Guy’s and St Thomas’.