Glaucoma Research Foundation

THE ORGANIZATION PROMOTES AND SUPPORTS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CONCERNING THE CAUSES AND TREATMENT OF GLAUCOMA. IT HAS BEEN A LEADER IN COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH THROUGH THE LANDMARK MULTI-CENTER NORMAL TENSION GLAUCOMA STUDY WHICH TRANSFORMED GLAUCOMA TREATMENT, AS WELL AS THE CREATION OF THE "CATALYST FOR A CURE" (CFC). THIS UNIQUE RESEARCH MODEL BRINGS TOGETHER SCIENTISTS FROM DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES TO WORK TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND GLAUCOMA AND FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE TREATMENT AND FIND A CURE. THE FIRST CFC TEAM MADE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THE FIELD OF GLAUCOMA AND HELPED TO TRANSFORM THE UNDERSTANDING OF GLAUCOMA FROM AN EYE DISEASE TO A NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE.TAKING THE FINDINGS FROM THE FIRST TEAM, A SECOND CFC TEAM WAS CREATED TO DEVELOP NEW BIOMARKERS TO DIAGNOSE AND MANAGE GLAUCOMA MORE EFFECTIVELY BEFORE VISION IS LOST AND OPEN PATHWAYS TO NEW TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR PATIENTS. A third CFC Team was launched to discover ways to restore vision lost to glaucoma by restoring, regenerating or replacing the retinal ganglion cells damaged in glaucoma.A fourth CFC team was launched to investigate common mechanisms of glaucoma and Alzheimer's to prevent and cure these and other neurodegenerative diseases. THE ORGANIZATION ALSO PROVIDES FUNDING FOR INNOVATIVE PILOT STUDIES IN GLAUCOMA RESEARCH. THESE INCUBATOR GRANTS ENABLE SCIENTISTS TO INVESTIGATE A NOVEL AND PROMISING IDEA AND GATHER CRITICAL DATA TO CONTINUE THEIR RESEARCH AND SECURE ADDITIONAL FUNDING. THIS PROGRAM CONTINUES TO NURTURE THE CAREERS OF PROMISING GLAUCOMA INVESTIGATORS AND BRING NEW IDEAS TO THE FIELD OF GLAUCOMA RESEARCH. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION SERVES AS A PRIMARY SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FOR PATIENTS BY PROVIDING UNBIASED EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS IN PRINT AND ONLINE.