Letters of Support

Letters of support and supporting statements for the SCONe project.

Supporting Statements

Alzheimer Scotland is pleased to support the SCONe project, who aim to research a link between changes in the retina and risk of diseases which lead to cognitive decline. We applaud the optometry practices involved in this project.

- Alzheimer Scotland, August 2024

Alzheimer Scotland logo with purple text on a white background.
Alzheimer Scotland Logo

 

Scottish Government Support

I am proud that the data and retinal images that we collect to support individual patient care as part of the NHS in Scotland, could collectively enable huge benefits for the development of life-saving interventions for millions in the future.

- Maree Todd MSP, September 2022

A quote from PCA(O)2024(04) on a pale blue background with a pink line border. The following wording is in black text "The Scottish Government wishes to thank optometry practices who have shared retinal images with the NHS Safe Haven as part of the Scottish Collaborative Optometry-Ophthalmology Network e-research (SCONe) project. In doing so, Scotland is supporting an incredibly important area of research." There are two oversided black quote marks at the top left and bottom right corners.
A quote from PCA(O)2024(04) on a pale blue background with a pink line border. The following wording is in black text "This is a globally important study that has the potential to save the lives of millions of people. As such, optometry practices in Scotland are highly encouraged to participate in the SCONe project by facilitating the secure transfer of retinal images held locally in their practice to Public Health Scotland’s Safe Haven, which is enabled by the NHS Scotland Public Benefit and Privacy Panel

 

Sight Scotland Logo

Sight Scotland decided to support SCONe because we believe harnessing the data provided by ever more efficient and detailed eye scanning technology has huge potential for patient benefit. 

- Sight Scotland, 2021

Read Sight Scotland's SCONe Story.

With the number of people with sight loss in Scotland set to rise to over 200,000 in the next decade, it’s never been more urgent for us to propel research into learning more about the early sights and progression of eye conditions... That’s why we’re funding some of the most pioneering research projects in Scotland.

- Craig Spalding

   Chief Executive, Sight Scotland

 

The University of Edinburgh

I write to lend my full support for the planned SCONe and Foresight Consortium’s pioneering big data project in Scotland, with the potential to have a transformational impact on retinal health in general, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in particular. 

Their ambition to create a Scottish repository of retinal images as a national bioresource is laudable, and will be a pipeline for retinal biomarker discovery, cross-linked healthcare research and a platform for continuous improvement in referral accuracy, triage prioritisation and cost-effectiveness in the AMD patient pathway. 

- Professor Andrew Morris CBE FRSE FMedSci, The University of Edinburgh, October 2019

 

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