This Year's Donations

MMAB 2010 donations will be dedicated to glaucoma research!

GLAUCOMA AT A GLANCE 2nd leading cause of blindness worldwide 60.5 million people affected in 2010 (79.6 million people by 2020) 8.4 million people will have blindness in both eyes because of glaucoma Damage to the eye caused by glaucoma is irreverSable - it needs to be detected and treated early and quickly Research needed: > Identify risk genes > identify predictive models for treatment options > Discover new treatments ("neuroprotection" and "stem cell")		Every year, proceeds from March Madness Against Blindness are dedicated to a specific research program at Kellogg Eye Center. The research program is chosen for it's cutting edge approach and it's focus on treating and finding cures to blinding conditions. I am happy to announce all donations from March Madness Against Blindness 2010 will go to support the research of Dr. Sayoko Moroi, M.D., PhD, at the Kellogg Eye Center, specifically her work to determine effective interventions for glaucoma and to prevent patients from progressing to an advanced stage of vision loss. Click here to learn more about her awesome work!
What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases causing optic nerve damage. The optic nerve carries images from the retina, which is the specialized light sensing tissue, to the brain so we can see. In glaucoma, eye pressure plays a role in damaging the delicate nerve fibers of the optic nerve. When a significant number of nerve fibers are damaged, blind spots develop in the field of vision. Once nerve damage and visual loss occur, it is permanent. Most people don't notice these blind areas until much of the optic nerve damage has already occurred. If the entire nerve is destroyed, blindness results. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the world, especially in older people. Early detection and treatment by your ophthalmologist are the keys to preventing optic nerve damage and vision loss from glaucoma.
What Causes Glaucoma? The exact causes of optic nerve damage from glaucoma is not fully understood, but involves mechanical compression and/or decreased blood flow of the optic nerve. Although high eye pressure sometimes leads to glaucoma, many people can also develop glaucoma with "normal" eye pressure. What Happens When Glaucoma Develops? Glaucoma is one of several eye diseases in which individuals may progress to vision loss as a consequence of limitations in current treatments. Some specific treatment limitations include patient compliance, poor response to medication, drug-related side effects, unaffordable health care cost, and challenging surgical procedures.
MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO FIND EFFECTIVE WAYS TO TREAT, DETECT, AND PREVENT GLAUCOMA AND IT'S BLINDING EFFECTS! To learn more about glaucoma, Click Here. To read a cool paper about the current state of glaucoma research, and where it's headed in the near future, co-authored by Dr. Moroi, Click Here.