Prevent Blindness America is proud to announce the recipients of the Prevent Blindness America Investigator Award for the 2005-2006 year. We received many wonderful and deserving applications which made the selection process very difficult. We would like to thank all of those organizations that applied for this program.

We would also like to thank the ARVO representatives that participated on the selection committee.

Suzen M. Moeller, Ph.D
Postdoctoral Trainee
University of Wisconsin - Madison Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences

Impact of Long-Term High Fruit and Vegetable Diet on Retinal Carotenoids

The only opportunity in our lifetime to test the impact of a low-fat, high fruit and vegetable diet on aging of the eye currently exists because of the recent completion of a long-term (average 8.5 year) clinical trial within the Women's Health Initiative. Age-realted eye diseases of the lens and retina are common in older Americans and disproportionately influence women. We plan to determine whether these diets increase the plant pigments, lutein and zeaxanthin in the retina, as the first step in examining the impact of recommended diets on eye health.

Stephen G. Schwartz, MD
Assistant Professor of Clinical Ophthalmology
University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine

Glucocorticoid receptor polymorphisms and corticosteroid-induced glaucoma

Corticosteroids are medications injected into the eye to treat a variety of blinding diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. Some patients develop glaucoma as a side effect of this medication, for unclear reasons. We believe that a patient's genes (DNA) may affect this particular side effect of the medication. If physicians could predict which patients would develop this side effect, significant vision loss might be prevented.

Joshua D. Stein, MD
Clinical Associate
Duke University Department of Ophthalmology

Variation in the Rates of Utilization of Services for Patients with Glaucoma

More than 2.5 million people in the United States suffer from glaucoma. The purpose of this project is to learn the extent to which demographic variables (age, sex, gender, socioeconomic status) and geographic variables (where a peerson lives, access to eye professionals) affect how patients with glaucoma are being cared for. By studying data from large databases that collectively contain information on millions of Medicare beneficiaries, it is possible to investigate whether differences in glaucoma-related visits, diagnotic procedures, and therapeutic interventions associated with demographic and geographic factors result in differences in health outcomes (for example, rates of progression of glaucoma and blindness from glaucoma). This information is of paramount importance in enabling U.S. health policymakers to determine ways to better allocate resources to improve health outcomes and reduce the rates of blindness resulting from glaucoma.

For more information about the Prevent Blindness America Investigator Award, call 1-800-331-2020.

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