When Vision Fades, Determination Shines: David Chute’s Fight for a Cure

Anyone diagnosed with glaucoma understands the urgent need for better treatments and ultimately, a cure. For longtime Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) supporter David Chute, that urgency is deeply personal. Diagnosed with glaucoma in his 30s, David has faced the disease’s challenges head-on while channeling his expertise and entrepreneurial spirit into creating new pathways for discovery.

David’s background in eye care as an advisor for CooperVision, a global leader in contact lenses, gave him a unique perspective when he learned that his intraocular pressures were dangerously high. Despite years of treatment with eye drops and surgeries, he gradually lost vision. “It feels like I’m hanging from a rope off El Capitan and the threads are breaking,” he says. “And there are millions of other people who face the same challenge.”

Determined to make a difference for everyone living with glaucoma, David connected with Glaucoma Research Foundation to explore a powerful question: What if the process of bringing new glaucoma treatments to patients could be faster and more effective?

Working with GRF and leveraging a visionary gift from The John and Daria Barry Foundation, David helped shape the Treatment Accelerator Initiative, a program designed to bridge the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and life-changing therapies. By helping scientists overcome financial and regulatory barriers, the initiative is turning promising discoveries into real hope for patients worldwide.

“Research by the Catalyst for a Cure Vision Restoration Initiative has identified three exciting potential neuroprotective therapies that, for the first time, could save retinal ganglion cells from degeneration,” David explains.

Beyond his work with GRF, David has spent his career helping inventors and startups bring their ideas to life. One project especially close to his heart provides affordable eyewear to communities across Africa and South Asia, helping more than 50 million people see clearly in 2024 alone.

Through his innovation and compassion, David exemplifies what’s possible when visionaries and donors unite. Together, we’re not only accelerating research, we’re accelerating hope.

Posted on November 17, 2025.