This PhD study has been a journey starting from only a few months of clinical experience within the ophthalmology specialty, moving on to conduct a clinical study of patients with branch retinal vein occlusion, and into the world of registry-based research. It has been thrilling, instructive and challenging, and while the journey that I expected was probably a different one, I learned all that I had wished for and more. I have been lucky to follow my study participants from visit to visit,

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... wing the disease progression and having the time to learn what the patients experienced and what were important to them. I have evolved enormously within the specialty, and the interest in ophthalmology has only increased along the way. I have also learned how statistical analysis and data management on large datasets can lead to enormous frustrations hand in hand with disproportional overexcitement when successful. While the PhD study was primarily aimed to investigate retinal vein occlusion and learn the art of proper conduction of research, I evolved just as much personally as professionally. I would like to give a special thanks to my main supervisor Professor Jakob Grauslund, who created a comfortable research environment, with opportunity of learning and evolving professionally. I appreciate how you believed in and supported my skills as a researcher, and how your meticulous calendar management always made room for me, when needed. Another pioneer within ophthalmic research, to give my greatest thanks, is Professor Tunde Peto. I truly appreciated your competent inputs along the way, how you always have a suggestion at hand when I come up empty and the network to help when solutions are further away. For Lonny, thank you for every hour spend coding, GIF'ing on 'Webex' and eating Läkerol at any time of the day. Your enormous knowledge within the registries and epidemiology in general was irreplaceable. Thanks to Professor Ryo Kawasaki, for a very pleasant collaboration and excellent inputs on every part of the study. I hope to continue working with all of you in the future Thanks to the skilled nurses in both Odense and Roskilde for great work and rewarding collaboration. To the guys at the office, Thomas and Kristian sticking around once in a while, and to Søren, Anna, Frederik, Benjamin, Anne, and Sarah. It has been a blast sharing this time with you -trips, advises, talks and thoughts. Thank you for listening and supporting, whenever needed. I look forward to working with you for many years to come. Thank you Søren Nissen, for dropping in at my office, and letting me drop in at yours, for personal and professional advices from a top-professional geriatric researcher, and to Stine, for being my PhD buddy, for great writing and working sessions across specialties online and in real life, and your omnipotent support in life as well as research. Og tak til Peter, min solide støtte i alle udfordringer, min ven, min mand og min bedste faglige sparringpartner, og Laurits, Eskild og Asger -intet af dette var af nogen betydning, var det ikke for jer. Tak for jeres støtte. Jeg elsker jer.