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About Us

Glaucoma Research Foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for glaucoma. Founded in 1978 in San Francisco, we fund glaucoma research worldwide and empower a global community affected by the second leading cause of blindness.

By 2040, 111 million people around the world are predicted to have glaucoma. We understand the power of that enormous number. But we believe the most important number is 1. That’s where our work begins: with each individual and every family affected by glaucoma, with each scientist driven to discover, with every doctor dedicated to preserving a patient’s vision, and with every philanthropist who shares our mission to cure glaucoma.

Glaucoma Research Foundation’s mission and history demonstrate a deep commitment to:

Discovery: We seek a cure and solutions that prevent glaucoma, slow its progression, and restore lost vision.

Collaboration: We bring everyone affected by glaucoma —patients, families, caregivers, doctors, researchers — together to learn from and support each other.

Innovation: We provide seed funding for creative research projects that might not otherwise move forward, attracting new talent to the field of vision science.

Empowerment: We share knowledge, insight, resources, and inspiration, empowering people affected by glaucoma.

We are proud of the people behind Glaucoma Research Foundation’s many contributions to glaucoma science and care. We accomplish a great deal with a small staff and a large group of expert advisors committed to serving the needs of everyone affected by glaucoma. Our extended team includes a dedicated corps of GRF Ambassadors — a national leadership group of eye doctors dedicated to improving access to educational materials for all glaucoma patients.

Video: The Cure is in Sight
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Tom Brunner: Imagine what it would be like to be blind. You couldn’t drive, let alone get around easily. Now, imagine going slowly blind from glaucoma. There are no symptoms. So you could lose as much as half your vision without noticing. And that vision is permanently gone. I’m Tom Brunner, president and CEO of the Glaucoma Research Foundation. My job is to prevent blindness from glaucoma.

What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve, a bundle of nerves that carry the image from our eye to our brain so we can see the world around us, so we can read and work and travel and see our families and friends. As those nerves slowly die from glaucoma, the connection to the brain is lost and vision is gone.

Early diagnosis and treatment can usually prevent vision loss, but some of us will go blind despite the very best treatments available today. That inability to halt blindness from glaucoma inspired the founding of the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Today, Glaucoma Research Foundation is the largest and oldest national nonprofit focused specifically on finding a cure for glaucoma.

Research holds the answer and the cure, but research takes time and money. In the years ahead, we will see unimagined breakthroughs that will fulfill our vision of a world free from glaucoma. Together, we must continue to prioritize this effort and see it through. With your help, we will continue to be a catalyst for a cure.

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Learn More

At Glaucoma Research Foundation, our bold vision is a future without glaucoma.

We provide our latest Financial Report, Audited Financial Statements, and IRS Form 990 to view or download on demand.

Board member and Scientific Advisor Dr. Monica Vetter reviews 20 years of glaucoma research progress made by Catalyst for a Cure investigators.

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