We Support New Ideas
Our mission:
to fund new ideas at their inception
The Society’s independently judged, peer-reviewed research grants are highly valued by researchers and considered important and prestigious within the scientific community.
The Society has funded research projects by most of Canada’s top glaucoma researchers – doctors and scientists interested in finding new treatments and in preventing blindness from glaucoma. These highly respected researchers are recognized across Canada and internationally.
Their research includes:
- seeking to protect good nerve cells in the eye and repair damaged ones
- searching for genes related to glaucoma
- improving blood flow to the eye, and
- making glaucoma surgery easier for the patient.
80% of funds raised go directly to researchers
Sound governance, a volunteer board, and low administration costs ensure that more than 80% of funds raised by the Society go directly to Canadian researchers.
The Glaucoma Research Society of Canada is the only Canadian non-profit organization solely dedicated to funding glaucoma research. Since 1988, it has raised more than one and a half million dollars in support of more than 80 research projects. The Society funds 10 to 15% of all independent glaucoma research in Canada.
2010 Research Grants
Researchers received $180,000 in research grants for the following projects:
- Investigating a New Procedure for Treating Plateau Iris Syndrome – Dr. Dominik W. Podbielski, Dr. Iqbal I. Ahmed, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
- Determining if Regulating Endocannabinoid Levels Provides Retinal Protection after Ischemia and Optic Nerve Injury – Dr. Melanie Kelly, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Comparing the Cost Effectiveness of Telemedicine versus In-Person Consultation in the Detection and Treatment of Glaucoma – Dr. Enitan A. Sogbesan, Dr. Karim F. Damji, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
- Comparing the Ahmed-FP7 Valve and the Baerveld-350 Implant in Treating Refractory Glaucoma – Dr. Ike Ahmed & Panos Christakis, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
- Studying Vascular Reactivity in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma – Dr. Chris Hudson, Dr. John G. Flanagan, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario
- Studying Real-Time Imaging of Intraocular Pressure Increases – Dr. John G. Flanagan, Richard Norman, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario
- Searching for Markers and Studying the Influence of Peptides and Preservatives in Ocular Cell Injury – Dr. Cindy Hutnik, Dr. Negin Ashki, Dr. Gordon Laurie, Dr. Robert McKown, Dr. Julia Baryla, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, London, Ontario
- Evaluating if RGMa Proteins Promote Retinal Ganglion Cell Survival in Glaucoma – Dr. Philippe Monnier, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario
- Determining Cost-Effectiveness of Various Glaucoma Screening Tests in High-Risk Populations – Dr. Alvine A. Kamdeu Fansi, Dr. Gisèle Li, Dr. Paul Harasymowycz, Dr. Jacques LeLorier, Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec
- Using Bevacizumab in Trabeculectomy Surgery – Dr. Catherine Birt, Dr. Christoph Kranemann, Dr. Deepan Selvadurai, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, Ontario
- Studying Proliferating Cells in the Adult Human Optic Nerve – Dr. Yeni H. Yücel, Dr. Neeru Gupta, St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Ontario
- Analysing Cortical Cell Loss in Normal IOP Glaucoma Models – Dr. Ordan J. Lehmann, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
- Investigating the Cellular Response of Human Optic Nerve Heads to Mechanical Strain – Ronan Rogers, Dr. Suzanne Ackloo, Dr. John G. Flanagan, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario
- Determining the Effect of Compressive Strain on Human Optic Nerve Astrocytes and Lamina Cribrosa Cells – Kenneth Olsen, Dr. Suzanne Ackloo, Dr. John G. Flanagan, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario
- Studying Mechanisms Responsible for Normal Tension Glaucoma – Dr. Alexander K. Ball, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
- Evaluating Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation as a Treatment for Glaucoma – Dr. Mark Lesk, Dr. Denis Claude Roy,Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, Quebec
Dr. Alexander Ball’s 2009 Lab Group
Your donations have funded numerous scientists who have gained international respect and reputations in advancing research into glaucoma.
The next decade should see some important breakthroughs including methods to maintain and possibly even repair damaged optic nerves in glaucoma.
Your support is essential to continue this valuable and much needed research.
Research Grant Applications
Researchers into glaucoma from across Canada apply annually for funding. Independent peers review the applications under the guidance of the Scientific Advisory Committee of renowned ophthalmologists and scientists from across the country. The Committee makes funding recommendations to the Society's Board of Directors.