BMJ  2007;334:799 (14 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.39175.503299.94

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Masking is better than blinding

¹ Sunderland Eye Infirmary, ² Cochrane Eyes and Vision Group, International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Why the term "blinding" should not be used in clinical trials

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Consider this scenario. An elderly woman has agreed to be part of a clinical trial testing a new drug for age related macular degeneration. Her left eye has very poor vision, and the sight in her previously good right eye is rapidly declining. She is told that she is part of a double blind trial in which she and the doctor will be blinded to the treatment. Taking fright, she withdraws her consent and goes home, terrified that this "blinding" experiment may deprive her of what little vision she has left.

The term "blinding"—commonly used in clinical trials—is particularly inappropriate in the ophthalmological setting, not least because an outcome measure of a particular trial could indeed be blindness. What an odd situation when the word used to describe trial allocation is also used to describe one of the trial outcomes. As a medical term blindness does not really have a . . . [Full text of this article]

Related Article

Blinding is better than masking

Kenneth F Schulz, Douglas G Altman, and David Moher
BMJ 2007 334: 918. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Schulz, K. F, Altman, D. G, Moher, D. (2007). Blinding is better than masking. BMJ 334: 918-918 [Full text]  

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