Glaucoma Research Allowed to Expand with $2.5 million Grant


With Glaucoma being one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, much time and effort is placed into trying to find cures and treatments for the disease. One of the leading researchers, Professor William Swanson, of the Indiana University School of Optometry is one of these researchers dedicated to finding preventions for the disease, which is why the National Institutes of Health have entitled him and his team to a $2.5 million grant.

With around 70 million people thought to suffer from the disease worldwide, Professor Swanson and his team are devoted to ensuring that this money is well spent. The research team will use data from the UK alongside patient analysis’s at clinics in New York, Indianapolis and Bloomington, to help develop better tests and screenings for monitoring the patterns and progressions of the disease. With Professor Swanson already being responsible for changing peoples presumptions that peripheral vision loss only occurs when there has been a significant ganglion cell loss, it is clear the National Institutes of Health’s money is in safe hands.

The research is hoped to provide a better understanding of perimetry which is something that measures the peripheral and central vision of a patient. This will be done using the development of clinical examinations for CSP (Contrast Sensitivity Perimetry) helping to build up a large database to progress the understanding of how CSP can measure glaucoma. It is thought that regular perimetry tests are key in the prevention of continuing vision loss in patients with glaucoma as the test identifies any patterns that are changing within the vision which can be caused by nerve damage. Overall, it is clear that Professor Swanson and his team of researchers will be looking through the methods for preventing this disease extensively, and with so many people worldwide suffering from the disease the benefit could be considerable.

18th January 2010

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