American Glaucoma Society Honors Glaucoma Research Foundation And The Glaucoma Foundation With 2008 AGS President's Award

Main Category: Eye Health / Blindness
Article Date: 07 Mar 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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The Glaucoma Foundation and the Glaucoma Research Foundation, two preeminent organizations dedicated to eradicating blindness from glaucoma through vital research and education, are joint recipients of the American Glaucoma Society's (AGS) 2008 President's Award.

The award will be presented at the Society's Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. on March 7 to Scott R. Christensen, president and CEO of the Glaucoma Foundation and Thomas M. Brunner, president and CEO of the Glaucoma Research Foundation.

The American Glaucoma Society supports glaucoma specialists and scientists through the advancement of education and research. Recipients of the annual AGS President's Award are chosen by the AGS president and approved by a special committee of the organization for "significant contributions to the glaucoma community…" In previous years, distinguished individuals in the field have received the AGS President's Award. This is the first year that glaucoma organizations are being recognized with this award.

Parallel Missions

The two foundations share parallel missions. The Glaucoma Foundation was founded in 1984 by Dr. Robert Ritch to fund groundbreaking research and to educate the public about the disease and the importance of early detection to prevent blindness. TGF awards seed grants primarily in three areas: optic nerve rescue and regeneration, molecular genetics and the use of nanotechnology for monitoring IOP, diagnosing and monitoring damage to the optic nerve and delivering drugs and other therapies.

The Glaucoma Research Foundation, the oldest U.S. glaucoma organization, was founded by Dr. Robert Shaffer, Dr. H. Dunbar Hoskins, Jr., and Dr. John Hetherington in San Francisco in 1978. Its research programs fund innovative projects that meet the criteria of its strategic goals: protecting and restoring the optic nerve, understanding the IOP system and developing better treatments, accurately monitoring glaucoma's founded by Dr. Robert Shaffer, Dr. H. Dunbar Hoskins, Jr., and Dr. John Hetherington in San Francisco in 1978. Its research programs fund innovative projects that meet the criteria of its strategic goals: protecting and restoring the optic nerve, understanding the IOP system and developing better treatments, accurately monitoring glaucoma's progression, finding the genes responsible for glaucoma, and determining the risk factors of glaucoma - with the ultimate goal of finding a cure.

Researchers funded by both foundations frequently use preliminary data from their investigations to support proposals for larger grants from such entities as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"Our organizations understand the urgency of making glaucoma research everyone's top priority if we are to unlock the mysteries of glaucoma," says Thomas M. Brunner of the Glaucoma Research Foundation.

"Both foundations are committed to using their resources and seeking partnerships to educate and provide support to glaucoma patients worldwide," says The Glaucoma Foundation's Scott Christensen. "We are reaching out at home and globally to raise awareness of the toll of this disease that afflicts 67 million people around the world."

The Glaucoma Foundation