From patient information and professional training to research funding and participant recruitment, Glaucoma UK offers a wide range of support for everyone working in glaucoma care.
You may already know Glaucoma UK as a source of information and support for your patients, but the charity also funds and supports research into all aspects of glaucoma, with a particular focus on research which can demonstrably improve the lives of people living with glaucoma.
We see our relationship with the professional community as a two-way partnership. By referring patients to us, you give them access to trusted information, practical guidance and peer support that complement the care you provide. In turn, we offer resources, training, professional development and research support for those working to improve glaucoma care.
Supporting glaucoma research
Our research funding has three principal strands:
- Project grants, supporting research into any aspect of glaucoma with awards of up to £150,000.
- Professorial funding, through which we have part-funded the post held by Professor David (Ted) Garway-Heath, the Glaucoma UK Professor of Glaucoma and Allied Studies at UCL’s Institute of Ophthalmology, since 2010.
- Our new career development grants programme supports glaucoma researchers at different stages of their careers. To mark the charity’s golden jubilee in 2024, we launched the Pitts Crick Career Development Fellowship. This three-year postdoctoral fellowship was awarded to Dr Giovanni Montesano for his project, ‘Digital twins in glaucoma: advanced modelling for personalised medicine’. In 2025–26, we funded two PhD studentships, and in 2026–27, we will support a glaucoma professional to undertake a PhD.
Developing the next generation of glaucoma researchers
Our funding is designed not only to support individual projects, but also to help develop research careers and build lasting expertise within the glaucoma community.
One clinician researcher we’ve supported over the years is Neeru Vallabh, consultant ophthalmologist at St Paul’s Eye Unit, Liverpool and Clinical senior lecturer at the University of Liverpool. Our support enabled her to gain a PhD and develop into a clinician scientist of increasing renown. Her PhD, supervised by Professor Colin Willoughby, investigated mitochondrial dysfunction, an area of glaucoma research then in its infancy. Neeru is thrilled to see the wider field of research in mitochondrial function and neuroprotection in glaucoma continue to develop internationally, with related approaches now being evaluated in clinical trials. One example is the NAMinG trial and includes St Paul’s Eye Unit as one of the participating centres. The chief investigator of that large, National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR)-funded clinical trial, looking at the neuroprotective value of vitamin B3 in glaucoma, is Ted Garway-Heath, whom we’ve part-funded since 2010.
“Glaucoma UK’s funding enabled me to not only be chief investigator on a number of exciting projects, but also a mentor for future leaders and researchers. There are further aspects of glaucoma that need exploring, but I’ll be retiring in the not-too-distant future. I can’t do it all, but Glaucoma UK have helped me support the next generation to take over.”
– Ted Garway-Heath
The current landscape of glaucoma research
We believe we are on the cusp of exciting changes in glaucoma research, driven by innovations in data and AI, as well as transformation in how care is delivered. The prevalence of glaucoma is predicted to increase by 60% in the next 35 years. The only way we’ll be able to manage this demand and prevent avoidable sight loss is by changing how glaucoma is managed – and AI is likely to be key. Most people with glaucoma won’t lose significant vision and can be safely managed via diagnostic asynchronous virtual review assessment pathway or similar. But in order for this to be effective we need research to tell us who is most likely to lose vision, and the evidence about how to introduce new pathways safely and efficiently, meeting the needs of clinicians, commissioners and patients.
It’s also likely that glaucoma treatments are going to become much more targeted, potentially with options beyond lowering eye pressure. Relative to other eye conditions, we’re blessed in glaucoma care to have a variety of tools in our armoury to protect vision, but they’re imperfect tools. Clinical trials looking at neuroprotective agents may bring new treatment paradigms into clinical practice. But research should make it easier for clinicians to identify personalised treatment pathways, again driven by developments in data analysis. This will be bolstered by the inclusion of more genetic insights driven by projects such as Our Future Health.
Driving forward clinical research is not without its challenges. The funding crises faced by both NHS institutions and universities are well-documented, and researchers looking to forge a career in academia often face years of short employment contracts, working from project to project. Funding for eye research is particularly scarce: just 1.3% of UK health research is spent on eye health, despite sight being the sense people most fear losing. Glaucoma UK is committed to working across the eye health sector to invest in more research, and help implement improvements such research identifies.
Glaucoma UK funds research into any aspect of glaucoma, demonstrated neatly by a portfolio of projects we’ve funded and that Neeru is involved in. One of our first career development grants was to part-fund clinical optometrist Matt Roney’s PhD, which is supervised by Neeru. Matt, who received funding in 2023, is investigating whether anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) can be used to identify early postoperative failure more effectively. Neeru’s a co-investigator on a 2025 project investigating a bioengineered scaffold for insertion into the trabecular meshwork (TM). It’s hoped that, as well as improving the drainage out of the TM, this scaffold may facilitate restoration of healthy TM function. Finally, Neeru received one of our 2026 project grants for a study comparing the aqueous humour samples from patients undergoing glaucoma surgery with patients undergoing cataract surgery. This multi-omics project benefits from samples collected routinely during surgery and stored at the Liverpool Research Eye Biobank.
“Glaucoma UK’s support enabled me to undertake my PhD and develop as a clinician scientist. It has been rewarding to build on that foundation through collaborative research and by supporting the next generation of glaucoma researchers. Their continued investment in people and innovative projects is essential to developing evidence that can improve care and outcomes for people living with glaucoma”
– Neeru Vallabh
“Glaucoma UK’s support has been exceptionally important to me. Without them, my ambition and dream of completing a PhD simply would not have been possible. Their funding has made my research, the GHOST Study, possible. We hope this research will improve surgical outcomes, and a meaningful difference to the lives of those living with glaucoma.”
– Matt Roney
Patient and public involvement in research
As the leading UK patient charity for glaucoma, we have a particular interest in patient and public involvement and engagement. Our community is fascinated and inspired by glaucoma research, and we can help researchers involve our members in your work.
Through the ‘Take part in research’ page on our website, we can help you recruit people either as research participants or as public contributors who can bring their lived experience to a project. Opportunities can also be promoted through our patient-facing channels, including our email newsletter and peer-support forum.
Professor Barbara Ryan MBE, Director of the Health and Care Research Wales-funded Centre for Vision Services Research, used this service to advertise a project exploring the future of glaucoma services, mentioning that, “It has been really helpful. We got a great PPI group through this and I’m sure our research will be much improved as a result.”
We can also help disseminate research to patient audiences through our membership magazine and regular programme of patient webinars.
Supporting clinical care
Lastly, we understand how busy clinics are, and explaining a complex, lifelong condition alongside different treatment pathways and possible outcomes takes time. Glaucoma UK can reinforce those conversations and give patients the opportunity to learn more, reflect and ask questions in a way that suits their own situation and communication preferences.
“Glaucoma UK’s patient leaflets are my go-to for patients at the time of diagnosis and prior to treatment decisions, including laser or surgery. I can be assured that the language is fully understandable, given the careful vetting the leaflets go through. They also include details of the Glaucoma UK helpline, which I point patients towards for independent advice and the opportunity to speak to a buddy before a procedure.”
– Professor Anthony Khawaja
Glaucoma UK’s helpline is open Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 5.00pm. Patients can call 01233 648 177 or email helpline@glaucoma.uk. You can also order helpline information cards to give to patients or download a banner for the footer of your appointment letters at www.glaucoma.uk/get-involved/health-professionals
Apply for research funding
Applications for our 2026–27 grant round open at the UKEGS conference on 10–11 November 2026.
Funding is available for:
-
Project grants: up to £150,000 for research into any aspect of glaucoma.
-
A PhD or MD for a glaucoma professional: up to £300,000 to enable a qualified glaucoma professional to complete a PhD or MD.
The deadline for proposals is 8 February 2027. Visit www.glaucoma.uk/research for full details and to apply. Our following grant round will open at UKEGS 2027 in Belfast.
To discuss how Glaucoma UK could support your research, email research@glaucoma.uk
Declaration of competing interests: None declared.
