New Grants for Big Data Research to Improve Vision Care

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK — August 20, 2024 — The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) today announced the 2024 recipients of the RPB / AAO Award for IRIS Registry Research.

The researchers will use the IRIS® Registry (Intelligent Research in Sight) to gain insight on improving cataract surgery outcomes in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, herpes keratitis treatment, the effectiveness of combination therapy for glaucoma, and improving follow-up care for people with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

The Academy and RPB started the grant partnership in 2018 to leverage the vast amount of data contained in the IRIS Registry to answer pressing questions about eye diseases for the benefit of patient care. Having amassed data on more than 70 million patients, the IRIS Registry is an invaluable resource for researchers looking to uncover better approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases in people across races, ethnicities and ages.

The Academy’s IRIS Registry is the nation’s first comprehensive eye disease clinical registry and is used by more than 12,000 ophthalmologists around the country.

The following researchers were selected to receive the grant based on the potential of their original research to advance eye care:

Carolina Adams, MD, Assistant Professor, Emory University School of Medicine

Dr. Adams will evaluate whether treating children who have juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) with immunosuppressant therapy before cataract surgery can improve their visual outcomes. She will also compare outcomes between the children implanted with an intraocular lens (IOL) during cataract surgery with those who did not.

James Chodosh, MD, MPH, Professor & Chair, University of New Mexico School of Medicine

Dr. Chodosh will evaluate the effectiveness of recurrences of keratitis caused by herpes simplex virus, which is the most common cause of infectious eye disease in this country. There is currently no comparative effectiveness data evaluating acyclovir compared to other antiviral agents such as valacyclovir and famciclovir, and no information about the continuation or cessation of antiviral agents past 12 months in the real world, which this study aims to provide to better inform clinical care.

Preethi Ganapathy, MD, Assistant Professor, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Dr. Ganapathy will evaluate the effectiveness of combining the glaucoma drug netarsudil (a rho-kinase inhibitor approved by the FDA in 2017) with selective laser trabeculoplasty to lower intraocular pressure. Both treatments work on the trabecular meshwork extracellular matrix to improve drainage, but it is unknown if their combined effects are synergistic or antagonistic. Dr. Ganapathy’s work should shed light on this question.

Kristen Nwanyanwu, MD, Associate Professor, Yale University School of Medicine

Dr. Nwanyanwu will evaluate the risk factors associated with patients who fail to return for follow up appointments to manage their proliferative diabetic retinopathy, as well as how those lapses in care affected their visual outcomes. The findings could help increase the number of patients returning for critical follow-up care so they can avoid vision-threatening complications from their eye disease.

Each RPB / AAO Award for IRIS Registry Research, worth $35,000, provides recipients with a subset of the IRIS Registry database for analysis based on their specific area of focus. Researchers also receive training from Academy staff on how to use the IRIS Registry’s analytic capabilities, as well as $10,000 in direct research funds. The results of each awardee’s research will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication after study completion. 

“This is our sixth year of providing this award in valuable partnership with the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the relevance and significance of this award has increased over that time,” said Brian F. Hofland, PhD, president of RPB. “Big data is transforming the vision research field—and the eyecare field—in incredible ways. The IRIS Registry allows scientists to answer questions about eye diseases across populations that would not be possible with lab research or clinical trials.”

“Patient-centered research is core to our mission because it has the potential to help shape the care eye patients across the country receive so that each has the opportunity to enjoy their best life” said Stephen McLeod, MD, CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “We look forward to seeing the results of this exciting research.”

Four more grants will be awarded in 2025. The application process is currently open with a deadline of Jan. 31,2025. For more information, visit the Academy’s website.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology

The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart® program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit aao.org.

About Research to Prevent Blindness 

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) is the leading nonprofit organization supporting eye research directed at the prevention, treatment or eradication of all diseases that damage and destroy sight. As part of this purview, RPB also supports efforts to grow and sustain a robust and diverse vision research community. Since it was founded in 1960 by Dr. Jules Stein, RPB has awarded more than $400 million in research grants to the most talented vision scientists at the nation’s leading medical schools. As a result, RPB has been associated with nearly every major breakthrough in the understanding and treatment of vision loss in the past 60+ years. Learn more at www.rpbusa.org.

August 20, 2024