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International eye health charity Fight for Sight has stepped up its commitment to researching the causes and treatments for a huge variety of eye health problems and
vision correction.
The organisation has set aside £1.4 million worth of funding to delve into conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, corneal dystrophy and
vision correction for children.
Commenting on the latest round of funding on offer from the charity, Michele Acton, chief executive of Fight for Sight, said: "The Fight for Sight grants programme is extremely competitive and sadly every year we receive many more applications than we are able to support. We have chosen to fund 10 projects which offer real hope to people affected by blindness and eye disease."
Grants have been awarded to Professor Majlinda Lako and his team at the University of Newcastle, who will investigate age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. In particular he will be looking at new surgical techniques that involve transplanting photoreceptor cells into the retina.
Glaucoma, and its genetic causes, will be investigated by Dr Forbes Manson, from the University of Manchester, while Professor Alan Stitt and colleagues at Queen's University, in Belfast, will look at diabetic retinopathy and the conditions resulting inflammation.
Research is currently underway in the US to show that overnight
vision correction - such as that offered by Ortho K lenses can be used to halt and potentially reverse myopia in children.
The Stabilising of Myopia by Accelerated Reshaping Technique (SMART) study is in its second year and will last for a total of five years.
Some 250 children are being monitored as part of the research and the quality of their vision is being closely tested.
So far the results have been positive and those wearing the new overnight contact lenses have shown no clinically significant increase in their myopia.
Written by Will Stevenson
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