https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-023-02425-y

How many people are diagnosed with birdshot each year? Until recently, that question had no clear answer. Now, researchers have used collected data to create what they believe may be the first estimate of new birdshot cases detected in Northern Ireland, England and Wales over the years 2017 to 2019.

The researchers used information obtained from ophthalmologists by the British Ophthalmological Surveillance Unit (BOSU) about the ophthalmologists’ newly-diagnosed birdshot patients. This data documented the patients’ symptoms, signs, tests, treatments and where each patient lived. A year later, BOSU then contacted the ophthalmologists again to follow up these birdshot patients. 

With any data collection study, it is inevitable that patient information may be incomplete or may not be recorded at all. However, out of the BOSU information, the researchers were able to use the data from 37 cases of birdshot to produce a picture of each patient and their treatment at diagnosis, and again a year later. 

This work was made possible by a small grant award from Fight for Sight and the Birdshot Uveitis Society.