Bridging the valley of death between research and implementing a systematic diabetic retinopathy screening program in low- and medium-income countries

Translating research findings to routine clinical practice is fraught with obstacles. The gap between the end of a research project and the implementation of its results is often termed the "valley of death." In this perspective, we highlight the barriers and potential solutions in translating research on diabetic retinopathy care pathways to implementation in the clinic. This gap analysis applies to all countries around the world, though it predominantly applies to low- and middle-income countries.