Michael Vaphiades, DO, Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, reviewing a cranial MRI scan.  Dr. Vaphiades' research, supported in part by an RPB annual $110,000 Unrestricted Grant to the UAB Department of Ophthalmology, deals with patients with pituitary apoplexy, a potentially vision and life threatening disorder.  His research into a specific MRI "pituitary ring sign" could aid in early diagnosis and treatment of the condition.   More...

RPB Gave $10.94 Million In Grants In 2007

New York, NY, January 11, 2008 -- Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), the leading voluntary health organization supporting eye research, awarded 93 grants totaling $10.94 million in 2007.  Departments of ophthalmology at 56 medical schools throughout the United States currently receive RPB research grants for investigations into the causes, treatment, and prevention of blinding diseases.

More than 38 million Americans age 40-and-older experience blindness, low vision or an age-related eye disease, including:  1.75 million with advanced age-related macular degeneration; 4.1 million with diabetic retinopathy; 2.2 million with glaucoma; 5.5 million with cataract; and 4.2 million with corneal dystrophies.  That 38 million is expected to increase to 50 million by 2020.

Across the nation, RPB-supported researchers pursue basic and clinical investigations into the entire spectrum of eye disease.  In 2007, among the more than one thousand RPB-funded published reports, were: the finding of a key in determining whether damaging blood vessels will form beneath the retina and contribute to vision loss in age-related macular degeneration; the identification of the cell that gives rise to the eye cancer retinoblastoma; the use of a new eye-drop stain for earlier detection of dry eye damage; and the sight-saving possibility of preventing retinopathy in premature babies by supplementing their diets with omega-3 fatty acids. 

"If you look at the broad spectrum of vision research that RPB has been supporting for decades," says David F. Weeks, Chairman, "You can a see a continuum and a gathering momentum, both pointing to the near-term possibility of preventing vision loss from some of the most debilitating eye diseases.  RPB will continue to apply its resources toward catalyzing ophthalmic science that makes a real difference in peoples' lives."

RPB grants are available to scientists at every stage of their careers, including RPB's top award, the Jules and Doris Stein RPB Professorship, which provides $500,000 over five years and up to $150,000 in a matching grant for laboratory construction.  An additional $200,000 may be awarded during a two-year extension of the award.  RPB granted three new Stein Professorships in 2007.

# # #