Boston (July 23, 2012) — Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded a grant of $110,000 to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases. The research will be directed by Joan W. Miller, M.D., Chief of the Mass. Eye and Ear and Mass. General Hospital's Departments of Ophthalmology and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School.
"Mass. Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School are thankful for the generous grants from Research to Prevent Blindness, which allow our researchers to continue to seek out improved disease management, treatment and future cures for our patients by continuing important research into the causes of vision loss," said Dr. Miller.
The Mass. Eye and Ear/Mass General Department of Ophthalmology is one of the world's premier centers for excellence in ophthalmic clinical care, research and education. Fields of investigation currently under intensive study include: retinal degeneration, including age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa; diabetic retinopathy; glaucoma and other optic neuropathies; corneal and ocular surface diseases; and all aspects of ocular therapeutics and surgery. Recently, research has expanded in specialty fields such as outcomes, genomics and genetics, gene-base therapies, ocular immunology, cell biology and angiogenesis. As the seat of Ophthalmology leadership for Harvard Medical School, the Department builds on the strengths of affiliated faculty from such renowned local institutions as Joslin Diabetes Center, Children's Hospital Boston, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Veteran's Administration Healthcare System to encourage innovation and remain a global leader in ophthalmology.
About Mass. Eye and Ear
Mass. Eye and Ear clinicians and scientists are driven by a mission to find cures for blindness, deafness and diseases of the head and neck. After uniting with Schepens Eye Research Institute in 2011, Mass. Eye and Ear in Boston became the world's largest vision and hearing research center, offering hope and healing to patients everywhere through discovery and innovation. Mass. Eye and Ear is a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital and trains future medical leaders in ophthalmology and otolaryngology, through residency as well as clinical and research fellowships. Internationally acclaimed since its founding in 1824, Mass. Eye and Ear employs full-time, board-certified physicians who offer high-quality and affordable specialty care that ranges from the routine to the very complex. U.S. News & World Report's "Best Hospitals Survey" has consistently ranked the Mass. Eye and Ear Departments of Otolaryngology and Ophthalmology as top five in the nation. For more information about life-changing care and research, or to learn how you can help, please visit MassEyeAndEar.org.
RPB is the world's leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. Since it was founded in 1960, RPB has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to medical institutions for research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases. For more information about RPB, RPB-funded eye research, eye disorders and the RPB grants program, visit www.rpbusa.org.