Glaucoma-causing mutations in the gene for myocilin reduce secretion of the protein into the aqueous humor, suggesting a new option for treatment.

Tonia Rex, Ph.D., assistant professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, was recently named one of 10 winners of the National Institutes of Health competition for ideas on the future of vision research.

Vision experts from around the country recently gathered at the 2012 Vanderbilt Eye Institute symposium “Regenerative Medicine in Glaucoma” to discuss the impact that regenerative medicine has on neurobiological diseases.

Three Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty members have been awarded grants from the American Health Assistance Foundation to support their research on glaucoma and macular degeneration — the two leading causes of irreversible blindness in the world.

Research to Prevent Blindness has awarded a grant of $100,000 to Vanderbilt’s Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences to support research into the causes, treatment and prevention of blinding diseases.