Glaucoma Research Foundation

Glaucoma Research Foundation's bold vision is a future free from glaucoma. Our mission is to cure glaucoma and restore vision through innovative research. With the dedicated support and involvement of our donors, Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) invests in promising glaucoma research and serves as a primary source of information and education for glaucoma patients and their caregivers. Those affected by glaucoma turn to GRF to understand the disease, learn more about treatments, and receive updates on new medical therapies to help prevent blindness from glaucoma. Through our website, events, lectures, webinars, blog, videos, and social media channels, Glaucoma Research Foundation provides updates on research to find a cure, necessary information about how glaucoma is diagnosed and treated, reports about the development of new types of treatments, and forums for glaucoma innovation to help patients living with glaucoma. In our communications we emphasize the importance of eye exams because early detection and treatment are currently the only ways to preserve vision. Glaucoma Research Foundation provides funding for promising pilot research projects and also funds innovative collaborative research projects aimed at better understand this complex disease and speeding the pace of finding a cure for glaucoma.

Our strategic imperatives begin with research. Our primary strategy is to increase and accelerate innovative research for improved glaucoma therapies, vision restoration, and a cure. We also empower glaucoma patients with the information they need to prevent vision loss and improve quality of life. We serve as a trusted source of comprehensive, compassionate, accessible, unbiased and accurate information for glaucoma patients. We regularly inform and engage our constituents as well as the general public by communicating the Glaucoma Research Foundation mission, programs, and success. We increase awareness of glaucoma nationally and internationally. We strive to continuously improve the effectiveness of our investments in research, education, support, and communications.

Glaucoma Research Foundation provides critical funding for promising pilot research projects. To date, we have awarded more than 250 grants to explore new ideas in glaucoma research. Known as “Shaffer Grants for Innovative Glaucoma Research” in honor of GRF founder Dr. Robert N. Shaffer, the Shaffer Grants continue our longstanding commitment to one-year incubation grants to explore novel and promising ideas in the study of glaucoma. Armed with evidence made possible by our research grants, scientists can often go on to secure the major funding necessary to bring their ideas to fruition. We consider it vital to invest funds in new high-impact research that may lead to major government and philanthropic support. All Glaucoma Research Foundation grants to explore new ideas are in the amount of $50,000. We also fund research through an innovative collaborative research model: Catalyst for a Cure. The Catalyst for a Cure consortium is a team of four principal investigators and their laboratories working together to accelerate the pace of discovery toward a cure for glaucoma. Different from typical research models where scientists work individually and often compete for grant money, Catalyst for a Cure scientists are engaged in a research collaboration that builds on their collective strengths. By design, their multi-disciplinary skills and efforts will enable them to move more quickly toward their goal. The Catalyst for a Cure program recruits investigators from prestigious academic centers across the country to pursue promising leads together. This proven approach to collaborative discovery has attracted specialists not previously researching glaucoma to help accelerate a cure.

We produce, sponsor, and present annual events including the Glaucoma 360 Gala, New Horizons Forum, and Glaucoma Symposium, which unite research, industry, and philanthropy to prevent vision loss from glaucoma and speed the cure; and the annual Glaucoma Patient Summit, an event to highlight advances in treatment options and provide practical information to help patients understand and live with glaucoma. Our free informational newsletters and booklets provide essential glaucoma information for patients.

To maximize our impact, Glaucoma Research Foundation operates efficiently with a small staff and a large group of expert advisors. Since 1978, we've invested more than $75 million to advance essential research and education programs. 83 cents of every dollar donated goes to funding research and patient education. More than half of every donation goes directly to funding innovative glaucoma research. Every donation helps millions of people every year get the critical glaucoma information they need. We receive no government funding and rely primarily on the generosity of individual, private donors to fulfill our mission. Glaucoma Research Foundation is proud to be listed among the charities that meet the 20 standards for charity accountability of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance. In addition, we have a 4-star (highest) rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates nonprofits.

In 2020, thanks to more than 27,500 contributions, Glaucoma Research Foundation reached its campaign goal to raise $25 million to advance innovative research and support essential patient education programs. The ambitious campaign was launched six years ago to fund scientific discovery toward a cure and introduce new initiatives to inform and empower patients. This comprehensive campaign supported all research and education programs over the past six years and specifically supported: the launch of the Catalyst for a Cure Vision Restoration Initiative, 48 individual glaucoma research grants, launch of the annual Glaucoma Patient Summit, introduction of new patient education materials, and a new informational webinar and video series.

We work with volunteer glaucoma specialists across the country who author and review content for our newsletters, booklets, website, blogs, and educational videos. In addition, our GRF Ambassadors are a national leadership group of eye doctors dedicated to improving access to educational materials for all glaucoma patients. GRF Ambassadors are advocates for patient education, assist with the development of educational materials, and make patient education a key component within their practice.

Our scientific advisors volunteer their time and expertise, helping to ensure that the Glaucoma Research Foundation invests in the most promising research in the fight against glaucoma. Our Shaffer Grant Advisory Committee evaluates Shaffer Grant applications and determines which projects the Glaucoma Research Foundation will fund each year. The Catalyst for a Cure (CFC) Advisory Board assists in identifying target objectives for the CFC research consortium and monitors the progress of CFC principal investigators. Our Glaucoma 360 Advisors and Program Committee volunteer to assist with preparation and presentation of the annual New Horizons Forum event to unite key clinical, industry, financial, and FDA leaders in a unique exchange on research innovation and advances in glaucoma treatment.

In 2020, scientists exploring the biological building blocks of vision uncovered special retinal ganglion cells that play a role in blood flow and pressure in the eye. Their discovery may lead to the design of artificial cells that, transplanted into eyes damaged by glaucoma, could restore vision. This is just one of many innovations, made possible through the generosity of donors to Glaucoma Research Foundation, that bring us closer to a future free from glaucoma. Catalyst for a Cure research scientists inspired us with their excellent progress this year. During the time their labs were briefly closed due to the pandemic, they were able to continue their work by pivoting to a virtual platform. The team temporarily switched from lab research to studying and collaborating about the experiments they would do when they were able to return to their labs. Two clear paths to vision restoration were identified: protecting and restoring the retinal nerve cells and replacing and reconnecting lost nerve cells. Laboratory experiments funded by Glaucoma Research Foundation are now underway to test their innovative ideas.

Inspired by the research progress and a successful series of Glaucoma 360 events in February 2020, our volunteers and donors helped us not only reach, but surpass our $25 million comprehensive campaign which concluded on June 30, 2020. The largest fundraising effort in our 42-year history enables the Catalyst for a Cure Vision Restoration collaboration, one-year Shaffer Grant pilot research projects for new investigators and ideas in glaucoma, and education and awareness programs like Glaucoma Patient Summit and our many Webinars.

With their first year of collaborative discovery behind them, members of the Catalyst for a Cure Vision Restoration Initiative in 2020 gained a deeper understanding of sight on a cellular level. Four laboratories with distinctive areas of expertise have now begun their third year of partnership on novel strategies to protect, repair, and replace damaged cells in the retina and optic nerve. This is the third team of investigators to benefit from a unique funding model advanced by Glaucoma Research Foundation. Instead of working independently (often competing for grants), our investigators combine their strengths to accelerate the pace of discovery. Their progress in 2020 could lead to the development of drugs to protect vital retinal ganglion cells as well as new technologies to transplant healthy cells or regrow the axons that connect eye and brain.

From our founding in 1978 up until today, and into the future, we’ve relied on the generous support of the community, and more importantly, on the active involvement of donors and volunteers to raise awareness, spread the word of our mission, and encourage others to aid our goal of curing glaucoma. The heart of our history has been the people who get involved, and our bold vision of a future free from glaucoma is getting closer every day.