New Grants for Cataract Repair Work in Asia and Africa
August 2011
Following receipt of a legacy to fund cataract repair work in Asia and Africa The British Council For Prevention of Blindness invites applications for funding of work to repair cataracts in these areas. Proposals from eye care professionals or programme managers with a proven track record in this field, seeking to fund eye camps or similar initiatives, will be welcomed. Those which include strong elements of quality control, research and training will be favoured. The total funds available are £45,000. Applications for all or part of this total (minimum grant £10,000) will be considered.
Applications must be submitted on the relevant form, available from Diane Bramson, BCPB Administrator by email on info@bcpb.org or downloadable from our website www.bcpb.org and must be received by 5pm on 14 October 2011 by email on info@bcpb.org and in a single hard copy to the British Council for Prevention of Blindness, 4 Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2RP. Applications will be considered by the Advisory Panel in January 2012 and it is anticipated that grants will be available from March 2012.
February 2011
BCPB is pleased to announce the award of 4 new grants to fund research to fight blindness. The awards total some £463,000 and include work in Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and the UK.
Details of the grants are as follows:
Mohammed Abdull, International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH), London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
"Improving control and early detection of glaucoma in Nigeria: a pragmatic,
randomized trial of enhanced explanation of glaucoma and its treatment to adults
newly diagnosed with moderate/advanced glaucoma." £179,915
Glaucoma, in which the optic nerve is irreparably damaged, is the commonest cause of irreversible blindness. Glaucoma causes more blindness in Africa than elsewhere as the disease is more aggressive; patients do not know about the condition and often present with advanced disease - blind in one or both eyes; not all eye units have adequate equipment, skills, experience and treatment options; patients do not adhere to treatment and follow up due to lack of understanding, cost and distance. Dr Abdull recruited 131 new glaucoma patients in a pilot study this year; 2/3 were blind in one/both eyes at presentation; 80% knew nothing about glaucoma; only 1/63 patients offered glaucoma surgery (trabeculectomy) actually underwent the procedure. In this randomized trial we will compare rates of acceptance of trabeculectomy following an enhanced education package compared with standard explanation. We will also investigate examination of first degree relatives as a strategy for earlier detection of glaucoma.
Stephen Gichuhi, ICEH
The epidemiology and management of ocular
surface squamous neoplasia in Kenya -
£180,005
Ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) is an aggressive eye cancer, particularly affecting young adults in Africa, causing visual disability, high morbidity and even death. The causes of OSSN remain unclear; previous studies found conflicting results, linking it to HIV, human papilloma virus (HPV) and solar radiation. The diagnosis is problematic; the appearance of OSSN overlaps with several other diseases and pathology services are frequently unavailable in Africa. The optimal treatment is uncertain: there have been no clinical trials of the various alternatives in practice. We propose an integrated set of studies. Potential causative associations will be investigated by comparing a large number of cases with unaffected individuals. We will investigate the utility of a special stain to detect cancerous tissue to help support the clinical diagnosis. Finally, a clinical trial will investigate whether long-term results of surgical removal can be improved by a post-operative course of chemotherapy (5FU) eye drops.
Victor Hu, ICEH
Pathology of trachomatous conjunctival scarring - £42,904
Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide. There are
currently
estimated to be 40 million people with active disease and 6 million blind or
visually impaired from trachoma. Conjunctival infection with Chlamydia trachomatis
in children results in a poorly understood inflammatory-scarring process which
leads to blindness in adulthood. The purpose of this study is to better understand
the scarring process in trachoma through an in-depth examination of conjunctival
tissue. Biopsy specimens would be collected from 40 cases with scarring, and
40 control subjects, allowing a detailed microscopic examination. In vivo confocal
microscopy would also be performed and conjunctival swabs collected for gene
expression and infection status. This study will allow us to elucidate which
cells and molecules are important in driving the disease process and help inform
the development of future interventions to reduce blindness. It will directly
complement the work that is being conducted by Dr Hu under his current BCPB
Fellowship
Paul Foster, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
Long-term changes
in anterior segment configuration in primary angle closure suspects with or
without prophylactic laser iridotomy - £59,978
By 2020, it is projected that 80 million people will suffer from glaucoma. Half of binocularly blind glaucoma patients are blinded by primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG), a preventable disease and one of the leading global priorities for prevention of blindness. Laser iridotomy has been proved to be able to reduce the risk of developing an attack of acute angle closure. However, so far, there is still no evidence showing that asymptomatic people susceptible to PACG will benefit from prophylactic laser iridotomy. This research will assess anatomical changes in the anterior part of the eye in a large cohort of primary angle closure suspects who were randomized and treated by laser iridotomy in one eye, and compare with the fellow, untreated eye. We believe the results will offer strong evidence about the feasibility and efficacy of prevention of PACG in large population and have a global impact on care of glaucoma patients.
May 2010
The April-May edition of Eye News carries a piece about BCPB Fellowships featuring Dr Mathenge's research work on eye disease in Kenya.
To download the article, please click here:
Dr Mathenge's survey team on the road in Kenya.
April 2010
BCPB is delighted to announce the following awards of Research Grants.
Projects will commence later in 2010.
Researcher |
Institution |
Type of Grant |
Project |
Amount |
Mr. Parvez Hussain |
University of Southampton |
PhD studentship |
Negative Regulators of Interleukin-1ß & Toll-Like Receptor-4 Signalling: A Therapeutic Approach to Treat Global Blindness From Sight Threatening Corneal Inflammatory Disease |
£59,100 |
Professor Clare Gilbert |
International Centre for Eye Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine |
Pump Priming Grant |
Migration study of lens opacities in Bangladeshis living in London and in Bangladesh: a pilot study to refine methods |
£8,000 |
Professor Andrew Lotery |
University of Southampton |
Pump Priming Grant |
The effect of SERPING1 on age related macular degeneration |
£59,820 |
Mrs. Anshoo Choudhary |
University of Liverpool |
Pump Priming Grant |
Evaluation of thrombospondin-1 anti-angiogenic peptides for suppression of corneal vascularisation |
£47,165 |
29th May 2009
The BCPB has initiated funding for new Research grants, worth up to £60,000 in total over one, two or three years. Research grants are available to clinicians, scientists or epidemiologists: a) for 'pump-priming' to develop their research ideas and generate pilot data to facilitate a future application for a substantial grant; or b) to provide funding for a non-clinical PhD or DrPH studentship.
Projects must further the goals of 'VISION 2020: The Right to Sight' - the elimination of avoidable blindness - and benefit VISION 2020-selected countries and sub-Saharan Africa. Grants will be awarded to UK research/training institutions. Applicants are advised to read the Information for Applicants to ensure that they are eligible to apply for these awards.
Closing date for receipt of applications: 13th November 2009.
For full Information for Applicants and application forms see http://www.bcpb.org/training.html or
contact The Administrator, BCPB, 4 Bloomsbury Square, London,
WC1A 2RP. Tel: 020 7404 7114
Email: info@bcpb.org
April 2009
BCPB are delighted to announce that Dr Jeffrey Jay, CBE, has accepted the Chairmanship of the charity following the retirement of Professor Andrew Elkington, CBE.
Dr Jay has had a distinguished career in ophthalmology and his previous appointments include Consultant Ophthalmologist and Clinical Director, Tennent Institute of Ophthalmology, Glasgow (retired 2007), President of Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Master of Oxford Ophthalmological Congress, Member of General Medical Council and of the European Board of Ophthalmology, Adviser in Ophthalmology to the Chief Medical Officer in Scotland and membership of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards.Dr Jay has produced numerous scientific publications on glaucoma, external eye disease and physiology of vision.Dr Jeffrey Jay
October 2008
The Independent newspaper of 7th October 2008 carries this article by Jeremy Laurance on Professor Andrew Lotery's research into Age Related Macular Degeneration:
Cure for common cause of blindness a step closer
A treatment to prevent the West's commonest cause of blindness moved a step closer yesterday with the discovery of a mutant gene that sharply increases the risk of sight loss.
The discovery by scientists at Southampton University is the latest to show that the condition, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is an inherited disease which may be preventable with the right drugs.
About 25,000 people a year are diagnosed with wet macular degeneration in the UK, 30 million globally, which occurs when the blood vessels in the retina begin leaking, damaging retinal cells and destroying central vision.
In the latest advance, published in The Lancet, researchers led by Professor Andrew Lotery identified a gene called Serping1 which was present in the patients affected by the condition and which produces proteins that help ward off infection.
Professor Lotery said the finding, with the discovery of previous genes linked with AMD, amounted to a "paradigm shift" in thinking about the disease.
Preventing Blindness in Kenya:
project update August 2008
After a break of 6 months on maternity leave and 4 further months due to the unrest in Kenya following the elections earlier this year, Dr Mathenge has now resumed fieldwork. She is conducting research into blindness in the over 50s, intending to develop better ways of preventing blindness in this patient group.
Dr Mathenge writes:
'I have so far examined close to 2500 individuals as part of the survey and am just past the half way mark. On my second week in the field I came across a woman who was totally blind and was making a lot of noise and getting violent in the queue. She was accompanied by her very embarrassed husband. I asked that they be brought in quickly for examination. The man was completely fine. He explained that his wife was recently diagnosed with diabetes and had gone into coma. She was in hospital for 2 weeks. She recovered, but to their horror she 'woke up' blind. Since then she had gone completely psychotic. He was in a dilemma and had decided to use the little money he had to buy her diabetic medication as diabetes had almost killed her, rather than seek help for her eye condition. On examination she had dense cataracts in both eyes. I sent her to the hospital immediately for surgery. The next morning I passed by the eye ward to see her. A beaming husband met me at the door and said,'It is wonderful. My wife is back!' There she was completely back to normal mentally, singing softly. The husband thanked me several times for helping his wife. He asked me to repeat my name. This puzzled me at first - until I realised he was confused as to how I could have helped him when we he and I came from the 2 different tribes that had just recently engaged in bitter conflict in our country!
The survey continues and is projected to be completed by the end of October 2008.'
Dr Mathenge (with pencil and paper) at work on the survey
New Project to prevent Trachoma
In February 2008 BCPB awarded our first Barrie Jones Fellowship, for research into trachoma, by Victor Hu and colleagues at the International Centre for Eye Health, London.
Some £175,000 of funding will be provided by BCPB for this project.
Trachoma is the second most common cause of blindness after cataract, being responsible for around 15% of global blindness, and about 6 million people worldwide are currently blind from this disease. It is concentrated in low income countries with a hot and dusty climate. Trachoma triggers a poorly understood inflammatory response, which leads to conjunctival scarring, and eventually blindness in many cases. It is unknown whether current control measures, including antibiotic treatment, will halt this process as scarring takes many years to develop. This research project will strengthen our understanding of trachoma, improve the assessment of current methods of prevention, and may lead to new and better trachoma control strategies.
Victor Hu, the researcher, will be will be based at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, Moshi, Tanzania and supervised there by Dr Matthew Burton, of the International Centre for Eye Health (ICEH) at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). ICEH is a world leading organisation in ophthalmic research in low income countries.
The project will link with a larger trachoma research programme in Tanzania and Ethiopia funded by Wellcome Trust.
Dr Matthew Burton performs an examination for trachoma
John Sergeant to present appeal Radio 4 Appeal
January 2008
The broadcaster John Sergeant will present a Radio 4 Appeal on behalf of the BCPB. The appeal will go out on Sunday 27th January at 7.55 a.m and is repeated later the same day at 21.26 p.m.
John Sergeant
John Sergeant to present appeal at Royal Albert
Hall Concert 4th November
November 2007
We are delighted to announce that the writer and broadcaster John Sergeant will speak on behalf of the BCPB at a fundraising concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 4th November 2007, when around 700 singers from Joint Hertfordshire Choirs will perform the Berlioz Grande Messe Des Morts.
Tickets are on sale at the RAH Box Office (020 7589 8212 ). You can get tickets on-line from the Royal Albert Hall
John Sergeant
New Fellowship To Prevent Childhood Blindness in
Malawi
January 2007
The project will build local capacity by training personnel, and help to develop systems and procedures to prevent childhood blindness in Malawi. The learning will be applicable elsewhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, where there are some 320,000 blind children at present.
Once fully trained, Dr Kalua aims to establish a fully operational community eye department at the University of Malawi, which will have a significant impact in national blindness prevention. The total cost of this project is £154,000.
Dr Kalua and colleague examine a child in Malawi, 2006
22 March 2006
We are delighted to announce that Royal Hertfordshire Choirs will again be performing at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the BCPB. The work will be the Grande Messe des Morts by Hector Berlioz. The concert date is 4th November 2007.
The Royal Albert Hall
March 2006
The British Council for Prevention of Blindness has awarded its first
ever Sir John Wilson Prevention
of Blindness Fellowship, worth some £180,000
over 3 years, to Dr Wanjiku Mathenge of Rift Valley Provincial Hospital,
Nakuru, Kenya. Dr Mathenge will study for a PhD which will equip her
for a senior post in her home country, where she will be influential
in planning and implementing blindness prevention programmes.
Dr Mathenge will be supervised at the prestigious International
Centre for Eye Health (ICEH), based at the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She will organise a survey
of the leading blinding diseases within a district of Kenya. The study
will identify those individuals who need treatment and those who are
most at risk. Those with eye disease will be referred for treatment.
The work will provide invaluable information about how best to prevent
and treat blindness in Kenya and will be applicable in other developing
countries.
Although the knowledge and skills to prevent most blinding diseases
are already present in developed countries, 80% of blind people live
in the developing world. Here, despite the fact that every passing
minute sees another child go blind, there is a desperate shortage
of trained people at all levels.
Dr Mathenge will spearhead a new cadre of top level professionals,
funded by the BCPB, who will receive expert training in the UK to
develop the eye care structure in Africa.
This new Fellowship builds on BCPB's existing Boulter
Fellowship programme, under which trainees from
LDCs study for an MSc in Community Eye Health before returning to
their home countries to play a key role in developing programmes to
prevent blindness.
Dr Wanjiku Mathengel of Rift Valley Provincial Hospital, Nakuru, Kenya
