FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2019

CONTACT: James F. Jorkasky Executive Director 240-221-2905 jamesj@eyeresearch.org

AEVR ANNOUNCES WORLD GLAUCOMA WEEK 2019 CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research's (AEVR) Decade of Vision 2010-2020 Initiative announced its first Congressional Briefing of 2019 which supports the vision community's request for increased Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 appropriations for the National Eye Institute (NEI) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

On Wednesday, March 6, 2019, AEVR will hold the World Glaucoma Week 2019 Congressional Briefing entitled Understanding the Genetic Basis of Glaucoma to Develop Vision Loss Prevention Strategies from 12 Noon to 1:15 pm in House Rayburn 2168 (Gold Room). RSVP to Dina Beaumont at 202-407-8320 or dinabeau@aol.com.

Glaucoma, a neurological disease affecting the optic nerve and causing loss of peripheral vision and ultimately blindness, is the second leading cause of preventable vision loss. Certain factors such as age, high blood pressure, high intraocular pressure (IOP), and optic nerve appearance are associated with disease development. Groups at highest risk include African Americans over age 40, individuals over age 60, and those with a family history of the disease.

Featured speaker Louis R. Pasquale, MD, FARVO (New York Eye and Ear/Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai) will first address unmet need and at-risk populations, then describe the National Eye Institute (NEI)-funded NEI Glaucoma Genetics Collaboration (NEIGHBOR) Consortium and its NEIGHBOR Overall Operational Database (NEIGHBORHOOD) which involves clinicians and geneticists at multiple institutions through the US. Through May 2018, the consortium has identified 133 genetic variants that predict glaucoma risk, including 68 that had not been previously linked to IOP. Researchers found an almost direct correlation between the magnitude of the genetic variants effect on eye pressure and their effect on glaucoma risk, meaning that IOP appears to be the overriding factor that determines whether someone develops glaucoma. Dr. Pasquale will discuss how future research can determine whether the genetic variants can identify predictive risk factors that may facilitate diagnosis and treatment.

The event is co-sponsored by Research to Prevent Blindness, the American Glaucoma Society, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Glaucoma Research Foundation, and the Optometric Glaucoma Society.

Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR), a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation, is proud to announce these educational programs associated with its Decade of Vision 2010-2020 Initiative, a sustained educational effort acknowledged by Congress that recognizes the benefits of federally funded vision research. Visit its Web site at www.eyeresearch.org