Advancing Eye and Vision Research
THE FUTURE .
DELIVERED .
Advancing Eye and Vision Research
When Gregory Grossman , Ph . D ., CEBT , began researching pediatric retinal diseases early in his career , he knew there would be many challenges to overcome . Limited time , funding , and personnel were concerns , but his greatest challenge , as for many scientists , was finding the one precious resource he knew could unlock a world of discovery – human eye tissue .
Ever since , he has dedicated his life to eliminating the barriers between researchers and finding the next cure .
Today , as Director of the new Eversight Center for Eye and Vision Research , Dr . Grossman is leading the charge to deliver innovative solutions that will accelerate research discoveries .
The Center is built around five key programs that provide critical resources including disease-specific donor tissue , biomedical data , grant funding , support for advancing eye banking practices , and community education initiatives .
Eversight Medical Director and Research Review Committee Chair Jonathan Lass , M . D ., says Eversight is well positioned to change the future of research in ways that have never been seen by eye banks .
“ In partnership with leading academic institutions , we aim to provide researchers with the critical tools they need to understand eye diseases and develop cures that will impact millions of people living with blindness ,” says Dr . Lass .
Dr . Grossman adds that these programs would not be possible without donors and their families who make the choice to donate to research .
“ Human tissue is absolutely critical to move researchers beyond the limits of animal and computerized models ,” says Dr . Grossman .
More than 32 million people worldwide are blind , and another 190 million suffer from moderate to severe visual impairment .
While corneal transplantation gives sight to many , only 10 percent of blindness is caused by corneal disease or injury . For many conditions , there are no cures or effective therapies .
“ Vision loss affects people of every age , race , gender and role we play – parent , grandparent , child or friend ,” said Dr . Grossman . “ You can join in our quest to change the landscape of the future by registering to be an eye , organ and tissue donor ; talking about the importance of research ; and making a financial contribution to support our innovative research programs .”
Visit eversightvision . org / research to learn more about our exciting research programs .
Spring 2016 | VISION | Page 8