The Glaucoma Research Foundation’s mission is to cure glaucoma and restore vision through innovative science. For more than 40 years, we have funded groundbreaking laboratory and clinical research that is changing the course of glaucoma care. Our work would not be possible without the generosity and dedication of people around the world who share our deep commitment to a future free from glaucoma, for everyone.
What Does It Take to Innovate?
Patients, donors, and leaders in glaucoma discovery and care explore what it means to share the mission of Glaucoma Research Foundation.
Founded in 1978 in San Francisco, the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) was created to encourage innovative research to find better ways to care for people with glaucoma — the leading cause of preventable blindness.
H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., MD is former Executive Vice President of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Board Director Emeritus for the Glaucoma Research Foundation. In San Francisco in the 1970s, Dr. Hoskins was a partner in a practice led by Robert Shaffer, MD (1912-2007), one of only a handful of ophthalmology practices in the country specializing in glaucoma. John Hetherington, Jr., MD (1930 – 2020) was also a partner in the practice at the time.
In 1961, Shaffer had already distinguished himself as one of the leading clinicians in glaucoma when, working with Dr. Bernard Becker, he wrote the definitive text, Diagnosis and Therapy of the Glaucomas.
“We weren’t seeing enough hope for our patients back then,” remembers Dr. Hoskins. “We desperately needed better treatments. But there weren’t that many researchers interested in the field. We knew we needed some breakthroughs, and urgently. But we also knew we needed to expand the field of glaucoma research and bring more innovative thinkers. We thought this kind of entrepreneurial research would be a catalyst for others, and we could accelerate the rate of discovery.”
And so, in 1978, Drs. Shaffer, Hoskins and Hetherington founded the Glaucoma Research Foundation, now America’s oldest and most experienced national institution dedicated solely to its mission: to cure glaucoma and restore vision through innovative research.
To learn more about our founder, Dr. Robert N. Shaffer, read his memoir online: ‘Robert N. Shaffer, MD at 90, An Oral History and Memoir’.
From our founding up until today, and into the future, we’ve relied on the generous support of the community, and more importantly, on your active involvement 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.
Following are some of the innovations and research results that Glaucoma Research Foundation has achieved since its founding in 1978.
In 1978, Drs. Shaffer, Hoskins, and Hetherington founded the Glaucoma Research Foundation, now America’s oldest and most experienced nonprofit dedicated solely to its mission to cure glaucoma.
The Shaffer Glaucoma Fellowship was established by GRF founder and world-renowned glaucoma specialist Dr. Robert N. Shaffer to inspire young ophthalmologists to study glaucoma.
Gleams, GRF’s free newsletter, was first published in 1982. Today, Gleams reaches 120,000 subscribers in print and email editions.
The first edition of the guide Understanding and Living with Glaucoma is published. Today, 22 editions have been printed and millions of booklets have been distributed.
In 1992, GRF convened researchers for the first Glaucoma Research Catalyst Meeting. Over the years, GRF would hold more Catalyst Meetings to inspire research innovation.
The GRF website launched in 1996 as a comprehensive resource for patients and researchers. Today, our website has four million visits annually.
In a GRF-funded collaborative study, researchers isolate the TIGR gene, found to be responsible for some forms of juvenile and adult glaucoma.
GRF funded the Collaborative Normal-Tension Glaucoma Study, the first multi-center clinical trial that documented the effectiveness of lowering IOP to prevent vision loss.
With funding from GRF, researchers at Children’s Hospital and Harvard University Medical School in Boston, MA uncover a way to stimulate the damaged optic nerve and thus regenerate the nerve to a much greater extent than ever before.
With project funding provided by GRF, the Weizmann Institute of Science researchers in Rehovot, Israel, conduct a study demonstrating that vaccination with a compound normally used to treat multiple sclerosis may be able to protect the optic nerve.
The Catalyst for a Cure research program commenced in 2002, an innovative approach in which scientists at 4 prestigious university laboratories work in real-time collaboration to speed progress toward a cure.
Catalyst for a Cure research team reports development of three new hypotheses for how glaucoma is initiated and where new therapeutic targets can be found.
Catalyst for a Cure studies indicate glaucoma shares common characteristics with other neurological disorders.
GRF-funded scientists make 20 presentations at major international eye research meeting.
GRF-funded researchers conduct two effective interventions in a model of glaucoma.
GRF holds international Catalyst Meeting in which leading experts discuss and share ideas for new directions in glaucoma research.
Calkins laboratory at Vanderbilt reports in published study that the first sign of injury in glaucoma occurs in the brain.
Catalyst for a Cure researchers identify a window of opportunity for preventing vision loss in the very early stages of glaucoma progression.
The annual Glaucoma 360 event launched in 2012 to inspire philanthropy, innovation, and collaboration toward development of new therapies and diagnostics for glaucoma patients.
In 2021, GRF recruited a second team of Catalyst for a Cure scientists to identify and test new speccific and sensitive biomarkers to detect and monitor glaucoma.
CFC research team reports that the onset and speed of vision loss in glaucoma depends upon a critical “tipping point” that involves a delicate balance between the metabolism of the retina and optic nerve and communication between individual cells.
CFC ressearchers identify new glaucoma biomarkers and develop technology to accurately measure biomarkers in glaucoma patients.
Early retina cell changes in glaucoma identified by Catalyst for a Cure research lab. Published study points to the specific structural features and cell types in the retina that may act as key factors in glaucoma progression.
A new team of Catalyst for a Cure researchers embark upon vision restoration and finding a curefor glaucoma based on work of their predecessors.
Researchers in the Catalyst for a Cure Vision Restoration team report in a study published December 14, 2020 in PNAS (The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) that by inhibiting a particular family of enzymes, it may be possible to develop new therapies for treating neurodegenerative diseases including glaucoma and Alzheimer’s.
The Glaucoma Research Foundation Board of Directors and staff regularly review, evaluate and envision the next chapter in our mission. Our current strategic plan provides a framework for action, and will ensure the Foundation’s continued success and accomplishment.
Research
Increase and accelerate innovative research for improved therapies, vision restoration, and a cure.
Education and Support
Empower glaucoma patients with information they need to prevent vision loss and improve quality of life. Provide comprehensive, compassionate, accessible, unbiased and accurate information for glaucoma patients.
Communication
Inform and engage constituents as well as the general public by communicating the Glaucoma Research Foundation mission, programs, and success. Increase national and international awareness of glaucoma.
Philanthropy
Maximize the impact of philanthropic support to fulfill Glaucoma Research Foundation’s ambitious research goals and advance educational programs.
Board Engagement
Develop board membership to ensure a cadre of enthusiastic advocates who represent various constituencies impacted by glaucoma.
Evaluation
Strive to continuously improve the effectiveness of the Foundation’s investments in research, education and support, communication, and board engagement with metrics reported regularly to the board.
For a complete copy of the Strategic Plan, please contact Nancy Graydon, Executive Director of Development and Chief Operating Officer.
The Gleams Newsletter includes interviews, personal stories, and current information about glaucoma, new treatments, updates on research findings, and more. You can subscribe to the printed version of Gleams or the electronic version — both are free.
The Gleams Newsletter includes interviews, personal stories, and current information about glaucoma, new treatments, updates on research findings, and more. You can subscribe to the printed version of Gleams or the electronic version — both are free.
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We are a 501c3 tax-exempt national nonprofit. Our tax ID number is 94-2495035. Our EIN number is 94-2495035.
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