Researchers from the University of Birmingham have been announced as winners of the 2024 Glaucoma UK and Royal College of Ophthalmologists Research Award.
The award, which runs annually, provides up to £100,000 to facilitate research into glaucoma. This prestigious award has previously funded a range of research topics such as prospective stem cell treatments and the use of big data in patient risk stratification.
Dr Lisa Hill (Associate Professor in Translational Neuroscience), alongside Dr Imran Masood (Honorary Consultant Ophthalmologist) and Dr Hannah Botfield (Research Fellow), are this year’s recipients, tied with researchers from Ulster University. The Birmingham team have been awarded £99,652 and will look to develop a novel treatment for primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), which is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible optic neuropathy that occurs when the drainage channels in the eye become clogged over time.
POAG, also known as ‘chronic open angle glaucoma’ or just ‘open angle glaucoma’, is the most common form of glaucoma in the UK. It is estimated that about 2% of people aged 40+ have POAG, and this rises to almost 10% in people older than 75. POAG is a slow-developing disease that causes damage to the optic nerve and is often symptomless, especially in the early stage.
