Image of an eye

Welcome to NetwORC UK

The Network of Ophthalmic Reading Centres UK, known as NetwORC UK, was established in 2004 bringing together three reading centres located throughout the United Kingdom in a unique collaboration to facilitate the grading of ophthalmic images for clinical research studies. We are the largest ophthalmic reading centre in Europe.

NetwORC UK is managed centrally by the Central Administrative Research Facility (CARF) which is currently based in Belfast. Engaging with the network of reading centres, CARF coordinates the transmission, receipt, distribution and grading of ophthalmic images collected for the research studies and clinical trials that NetwORC UK is participating in.

With its state of the art digital facilities NetwORC UK can automatically process images from a wide range of image acquisition systems and its custom built software platform allows the captured images to be standardised, distributed to the reading centres and viewed on a common platform. The images are evaluated by applying both parametric and non-parametric principles by highly trained grading staff. Grading results are recorded directly onto study-specific databases for transfer to data management centres.

Mission

Our mission is to provide a high quality grading and management service to achieve systematic and comprehensive reading of ocular images. We aim to facilitate the objective assessment of participant images from multi-centre clinical trials and epidemiological studies in order to determine clinical characteristics, describe and quantify morphological biomarkers that reflect health and/or ocular tissue damage.