Background, conceptions, methodology of the Real-World Study and its application in ophthalmology

Real-World Study (RWS) is originated in the practical clinical trials,which belongs to the category of drug epidemiology.It is non-random,open,no placebo research,and based on the clinical actual situation and the emphasizing the external validity of the research results.The RWS has received a lot of attention and in some field of medicine,disease-specific observational cohort,registry and management database have been well-established.While the RWS in ophthalmology is just starting up.In this article,the background,concepts,methods of RWS and its application in ophthalmology were reviewed. Key words: Real world ;  Randomized controlled trial;  Research design ;  Glaucoma