Grant awarded towards eye disease research

Fight for Sight, a charity funding the research for the treatment of blindness and eye disease, has contributed grants totalling £697 350 to 7 recipients.

Research into treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic eye disease, amblyopia, congenital cataract and keratoconus will all be provided with grants from Fight for Sight.

One of the PhD studentships has been awarded to the University of the City of London Institute of Ophthalmology and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have received £100 000 from the charity to help them in researching the prevention of sight loss caused by trachoma. The research will study the process that causes scarring of the eyelids and gain a better understanding of trachoma.

Dr Dolores Conroy, Fight for Sight Research Officer, said: "Through these grants we are helping researchers to find ways of preventing and treating a number of serious eye conditions. We are also helping to support a new generation of vision scientists."