BrightFocus Foundation Offers Free Educational Resources for Glaucoma Awareness Month

(Jan. 6, 2023) Clarksburg, MD— January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month, and BrightFocus Foundation is offering a variety of free educational resources to help individuals with glaucoma and their loved ones navigate the disease.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, affecting 80 million people. Half of those impacted by glaucoma may not even know it because it usually has no noticeable symptoms in its early stages. 

Currently, there is no cure for glaucoma; however, through early diagnosis and treatment, the disease can be controlled before vision loss or blindness occurs. 

“Early detection through a dilated eye exam is the best tool we have to protect against serious vision loss from glaucoma,” said Preeti Subramanian, PhD, Director of Scientific Programs, Vision Science, at BrightFocus.

A dedicated glaucoma resources webpage shares information about early signs and symptoms, treatments, and clinical trials as well as newly updated expert articles with practical advice such as the importance of dilated eye exams, tips for using eye drops for glaucoma, and more. In a video Q&A that shows the progression of glaucoma, Dr. Subramanian answers top questions about the disease.

BrightFocus, in partnership with the American Glaucoma Society, also offers a Glaucoma Chats series of free, monthly audio discussions with vision experts. Upcoming topics include tips for taking charge of your glaucoma diagnosis, new frontiers in glaucoma surgeries, and lifestyle changes to help with glaucoma. Since its launch in 2012, the BrightFocus Chats program has connected thousands of individuals with the expert vision information they need.

A leading provider of free English and Spanish glaucoma resources, BrightFocus reaches millions of individuals every year through its public awareness efforts about Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

Recently, BrightFocus shared the story of Phil Gutis, a writer and advocate who was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at age 54, in a national awareness campaign that included free resources for understanding, preventing, and treating Alzheimer’s disease.

National Glaucoma Research (NGR), a BrightFocus Foundation program, funds innovative research worldwide to discover a cure for glaucoma. Since inception, NGR has awarded nearly $47 million in funding across 474 cutting-edge research projects on the causes and potential prevention and treatment of glaucoma.

About BrightFocus Foundation

BrightFocus Foundation is a premier nonprofit funder of research to defeat Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Through its flagship research programs—Alzheimer’s Disease Research, National Glaucoma Research, and Macular Degeneration Research—the Foundation is currently supporting a $75 million portfolio of 287 scientific projects. BrightFocus has awarded nearly $275 million in groundbreaking medical research funding since inception and shares the latest research findings, expert information, and English/Spanish disease resources to empower the millions impacted by these devastating diseases. Join our community at brightfocus.org.

Contact

Julia Roth
BrightFocus Foundation
jroth@brightfocus.org
301-556-9382

Kaci Baez
BrightFocus Foundation
kbaez@brightfocus.org
301-556-9370