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Message weye to eye newsCONTINUED ON BACK PAGECONTINUED ON PAGE 4MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTDear Readers,I’m happy to report that the Foundaon made a signicant impact with our digital campaign for Glaucoma Awareness Month, spreading the word to educate more people about the disease and TGF’s eorts to work for a cure. We are delighted that we had 10,000 visitors to TGF’s website from across the U.S., and from Germany, India, France, the Netherlands and Austria, plus many thousands of views on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. We closed the observance month with a segment on “Health Uncensored with Dr. Drew,” a naonal television series on which I was joined by Hillary Golden, Glaucoma Coach and Paent Moderator to TGF’s APUP Support Group. Our Annual Gala, beneng the programs and iniave of the Foundaon, falls on April 3rd this year. The Kiy Carlisle Hart Award of Merit for Lifeme Achievement is being awarded to David Fellows & Helga Tan-Fellows and Kumar Mahadeva & Simi Ahuja. See our website and social media for images and video of the event!April 2025TGF Founder Dr. Robert Ritch to Step Down from The Glaucoma FoundaonDr. Robert Ritch, the founder of The Glaucoma Foundaon (TGF) and its Medical Director and Co-Chair of its Scienc Advisory Board, is stepping down from these roles as of March 1st aer 40 years of exceponal service. “We are most grateful for Dr. Ritch’s outstanding and singular contribuons over the years,” said Dr. Gregory K. Harmon, TGF’s Board Chairman. “As a preeminent surgeon, clinician, and researcher, Dr. Ritch has devoted his career to broadening our knowledge of the underlying eologies of glaucoma and innovaon in its medical, laser, and surgical treatment.”Dr. Ritch founded The Glaucoma Foundaon in 1984 to support basic and clinical research to idenfy factors that lead to glaucoma and to develop new methods of treatment. At that me, the public was much less aware of the disease and its devastang impact.In 1994, Dr. Ritch initiated the Glaucoma Foundaon’s Annual Think Tank on Opc Nerve Rescue and Restoraon, gathering 12 sciensts and researchers that first year to discuss collaborave approaches in the emerging eld of opc nerve regeneraon.The TGF Internaonal Think Tank, unique in its interdisciplinary format, has aracted world-renown researchers in other elds to glaucoma

The Glaucoma Foundation | Page TwoWhat are the new glaucoma device advancements approved last year?Queson answered by:John Berdahl, MDVance Thompson VisionSioux Falls, SDOver the past year there have been two new device approvals by the US FDA for glaucoma. One is direct SLT (Selecve Laser Trabeculoplasty), also known as DSLT. The other is the FYSX Ocular Pressure Adjusng Pump (OPAP), which I was involved with as the founder of the manufacturing company, Balance Ophthalmics. The Ocular Pressure Adjusting Pump was approved in June of 2024, and is the rst non-surgical, non-pharmacological way to lower eye pressure. It’s indicated for paents whose pressure is less than 21 mmHG, who had tried or are on other therapies but who need addional IOP lowering.The device works like a pair of goggles aached to a negave pressure pump. It’s based on physics not physiology. Data from the FDA studies show that 100 percent of paents had IOP lowering and 97 percent had over 20 percent IOP lowering – in addion to their current therapies. The prescripon-only device is indicated for reducing IOP during sleep. Interesngly, most people’s eye pressure goes up at night and blood pressure goes down indicang that the perfusion of the eye goes down at night. We think nighme may be a parcularly vulnerable me for glaucoma damage to occur in these paents who need addional IOP lowering. I expect this will be an important therapy when we don’t want to move to more aggressive glaucoma surgeries. If a person’s pressure is less than 21, then they are on label for it. But their pressure may have started higher than 21 and, with treatment, is lower than 21 but they sll need more therapy. So, a primary treatment area for it is going to be normal tension glaucoma or people who are sll geng worse with their pressure in the normal range. These paents are parcularly dicult to treat because it’s hard to lower eye pressure further in paents whose pressure is in the normal range.eye to eye newsDoctor, I Have A Queson.

The Glaucoma Foundation | Page Threeeye to eye news eye to eye newsThe company is in the earliest stages of rolling out the technology and obtaining Medicare reimbursement. It’s not broadly distributed yet but we hope to have good insurance coverage in the relavely near future. Direct SLTFor a long me, many eye doctors have felt that SLT should be the rst-line therapy. One obstacle has been that it’s a bit cumbersome for doctors to deliver the SLT laser treatment. The new DSLT delivers the laser beam externally without the need for a specialized lens that comes in contact with the eye. The laser is focused on the trabecular meshwork (TM), the oulow pathway of the eye, and helps open up that oulow pathway. It’s a much beer experience for both paents and the team that delivers the therapy – and with results that have been shown to be equivalent to SLT. When I talk with doctors around the country and ask them how many would choose SLT for rst-line therapy for their own eyes, almost every doctor raises their hand. But when I follow up and ask, how many of your paents have SLT as their rst-line therapy, very few doctors raise their hand. I think that’s because it’s fairly cumbersome to deliver that care both from the paent’s and the doctor’s perspecve. I’m hopeful that by making the laser procedure easier for the paent and the doctor, more and more paents will be geng this as rst-line therapy. I predict that in ve or seven years, SLT will be the rst-line glaucoma therapy.Both of these technologies deliver paent-friendly and very safe ways to lower IOP. The direct SLT is at the very beginning of the treatment paradigm and the FYSX Ocular Pressure Adjusng Pump is for those who have tried treatment and need addional therapy for their more dicult to treat glaucoma. Thank you for supporng The Glaucoma Foundaon.Your contribuons help us to improve life for people with glaucoma by raising awareness, funding cung-edge research, encouraging diversity in medicine, and educang physicians, paents, and the public.John Berdal, MD

The Glaucoma Foundation | Page Foureye to eye news eye to eye newseye to eye newsand connues to generate new concepts that have greatly advanced the eld. In the last few years, research projects movated by TGF Think Tank meengs have more than tripled. In 2008, the Foundaon created the Dr. Robert Ritch Award for Excellence and Innovaon in Glaucoma to recognize the contribuons of individuals who have played a signicant and unique role in promong the science of glaucoma. The rst award was presented to Dr. Robert Ritch; it has been presented annually since.“We honor Dr. Ritch’s stellar accomplishments over the decades,” says Elena Sturman, TGF President and CEO. His contribuons to the eld of ophthalmology and glaucoma will connue to have an impact in the years ahead.”Dr. Robert RitchCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Glaucoma Surgery – What It’s All aboutOn January 28, Dr. Poonam Misra gave a detailed talk about the many surgical opons in the glaucoma toolbox today. Dr. Misra is a glaucoma specialist at Manhaan Eye, Ear, Throat Hospital of Northwell Health in New York, where she is also the Co-Director of the Glaucoma Fellowship.Dr. Misra discussed the range of surgical opons for glaucoma paents, from procedural pharmaceucals, laser treatments and minimally invasive glaucoma procedures to tradional ltering surgery. She debunked certain myths about glaucoma surgery and discussed what each surgery entails, from how to prepare and what to expect, to recovery mes and restricons, so that paents may beer understand the opons recommended by their provider.Not all procedures are appropriate for each paent and no one procedure is best for all, Dr. Misra explained. The goals of treatment vary greatly on the severity of disease, the rate of progression, target IOP, history of prior surgeries (glaucoma, cataract, corneal, rena), post-operave concerns (such as frequency of post-operave medicaons and visits) and recovery me. We hope that with a beer understanding of surgical opons, paents will be able to talk with their doctor to develop a treatment that works best for them.This webinar was sponsored by Glaukos and can be viewed on our website or YouTube channel.

The Glaucoma Foundation | Page Fiveeye to eye newseye to eye newsGIVING BACK FOR GLAUCOMA AWARENESS : Mia ZacharyHow does a love for a parcular taco restaurant in Charloesville, Virgina, lead to a fundraiser to raise awareness about the disease and the work of the Foundaon?Vision issues have long been a part of Mia Zachary’s life. She began wearing glasses on the rst day of h grade. “I was tall, skinny and very self-conscious,” she remembers. “I very quickly had to accept that I can’t see without them. “I’ve worn glasses for 50 years, but things got really bad around 2019—my eyes felt tender; I was geng headaches and struggling with light sensivity. Everything kept geng more and more dicult, so my eye doctor referred me to the ophthalmologist who diagnosed my glaucoma. I’ve been with Charloesville Eye Associates since 2020. (How ironic is that!) I take latanoprost eye drops every night and see my doctor every six months. Both my husband and I are Reiki teachers, so we believe that holisc pracce is helping me also. Dr. Womack recently redid all of the tesng and my results were the same as they were in April of 2021! I’ve gone four years with no progression. In fact, my eye pressures have gone down. “There’s a restaurant in Charloesville that we love– it’s called Torchy’s Tacos and we go there oen. During one visit last summer, the manager came over to our table and said, ‘Do you realize that you’ve eaten here 275 mes in the two years we’ve been open?’ I laughed and said, well, you know I love your food. Then he asked, ‘Do you love it enough to tell other people about it, because we’re looking for a local store marketer.’ So now Torchy’s pays me to tell people about food I already love! Originally the job he was oering was just about handing out samples to people around town. What I’ve done instead is look for ways to connect good food with a good community. I’ve been organizing a series of sponsorships and fundraisers. When I found out that January is Glaucoma Awareness Month, and went to the manager with my idea, he asked, ‘Glaucoma? What is that?’“This is why we need awareness. When I learned that our corporate oce only does such programs with non-prots, I was inspired to look for a naonal foundaon that funds research and could benet from my eorts. My plan didn’t come together in me for Glaucoma Awareness Month, but a fundraiser is planned for March 10th. “I let all the local eye doctors know about this so they can invite their sta and tell paents to come to Torchy’s on the 10th. When customers menon the fundraiser, 15% of whatever food they order will be donated to the work of The Glaucoma Foundaon. A handout yer with a QR Code will direct people to TGF’s website where they can learn more about glaucoma and sign up for the newsleer. “I’m thankful for this opportunity to give a tesmonial that hopefully will help people learn more about glaucoma—especially people who have been newly diagnosed. As I tell people, I’ve been living with this disease for years. Glaucoma is not the end of what you can envision for your life. You sll have a lot to give.”

The Glaucoma Foundation | Page SixWinter can Wreak Havoc on Your Eyes Fortunately, following a few ps can help keep your eyes safe.• Heaters and dry wind can aggravate dry eyes during the winter months. Dry eye syndrome, parcularly common among older adults, is mostly caused by a deciency in the tear glands, and a common preservave in many glaucoma medicaons can worsen the symptoms. The main treatment for relief is the use of lubricang arcial tears, preferably with no preservaves. Leave at least een minutes between applicaons of glaucoma eye drops and the arcial tears to keep from washing the glaucoma drop out of the eye. For more severe cases, a thicker gel or ointment can be used at night or a prescripve eye drop is available. Using a humidier in your home may also be helpful. • It’s important to wear sunglasses in the winter to protect your eyes from dry, cold condions and from the sunlight that reects o of snow and ice. Look for a label that says “100% protecon against both UVA and UVB” or “100% protecon against UV 400.” Choose larger frames. Frames that wrap around the sides of the face oer the greatest protecon. Also, note that cost, lens color or nt, lens darkness, mirror-coang and polarizaon do not play a role in UV protecon.• If you parcipate in ice skang, skiing and snowboarding, consider wearing special goggles that can provide even more protecon. It’s also a good idea to wear a hat eye to eye newsto help deect the sun’s rays and, if possible, to avoid skiing or hiking behind other people to help cut down on the amount of snow and debris that can y into your face. ________________________________________________________________________Creang a Supporve Workplace: Strategies for Including Employees with Disabilies Creang a workplace that values diversity and inclusivity is not only ethically sound but also strategically benecial. By focusing on the integraon and support of employees with disabilies, organizaons can tap into a broader range of talents and perspecves. This approach requires thoughul implementaon of supporve structures and incenves that cater to the unique needs of these employees. From educaonal opportunies to assisve technologies, there are many ways to foster an environment where everyone can thrive.

Enhancing Workforce Diversity Through Online Educaon Supporng employees in their educaonal pursuits can signicantly enhance workforce diversity and retenon. By oering funding for online educaon, such as pursuing an online business degree, you demonstrate a commitment to both personal and professional growth. Online programs provide the exibility needed for employees to manage work and family responsibilies, enabling them to advance their educaon without compromising their current roles. Many companies oer tuion assistance programs, which can alleviate nancial burdens and foster a more educated and loyal workforce. Assisve Technologies Providing assisve technologies like screen readers and speech recognion soware can signicantly improve the workplace experience for employees with disabilies. These tools enhance communicaon and producvity while fostering an inclusive environment that respects employee privacy and removes barriers to success. By integrang these technologies into standard employee packages, companies demonstrate a commitment to accessibility and diversity, aracng talented individuals who may face challenges in tradional work sengs. Iniaves like oering free tools such as NVDA further support equitable opportunies for all employees to thrive.MentorshipEstablishing mentorship or support groups for employees with disabilies can signicantly enhance their sense of belonging and understanding in the workplace. These groups create a space for sharing experiences and strategies, helping individuals tackle workplace challenges more eecvely. By fostering a The Glaucoma Foundation | Page Sevensupporve community, such iniaves boost engagement and retenon while opening doors to broader professional networks and career growth. Implemenng these programs highlights a commitment to inclusivity, making your organizaon more appealing to individuals with disabilies. Strategic Partnerships for Inclusive Hiring Forming partnerships with organizaons specializing in disability employment can help aract and support talented new hires with disabilies. These collaboraons connect your organizaon with a diverse pool of qualied candidates while demonstrang your dedicaon to inclusivity and diversity in the workplace. By working with state and local service providers, you gain access to networks designed to link employers with individuals who have the skills you need. Addionally, these partnerships oer valuable resources such as accommodaon consultaons and assisve technology training, ensuring your workplace is equipped to support employees with disabilies eecvely. Building Inclusivity Through Disability ERGsCreang Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) specically for employees with disabilies can enhance workplace inclusivity and support. These groups provide a plaorm for individuals to share experiences, advocate for necessary changes, and foster a sense of community. By parcipang in ERGs, employees with disabilies can access valuable resources, such as informaon on accommodaons and assisve technologies, which can improve their work environment and producvity. Furthermore, ERGs can play a crucial role in professional development by oering workshops on self-advocacy and career advancement, ensuring equal opportunies for growth.eye to eye news eye to eye newsCONTINUED ON BACK PAGE

eye to eye newsMESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTconnued from page 1Creang a Supporve Workplaceconnued from page 7We are making nal plans for TGF’s 29th Internaonal Scienc Think Tank in New York on June 20 and 21. This year’s theme is “The Future of Glaucoma: Harnessing Data, AI, and Precision Medicine for Paent-Centered Care.” I hope you’ll take note that the concluding session will focus on AI from the paent’s perspecve, with several paents presenng. We will be announcing the Zoom link for those who would like to tune in live. Recordings will be posted laster in the month.The Glaucoma Foundaon’s Robert Ritch Award for Innovaon and Excellence in Glaucoma will be presented during the two-day Think Tank. We are thrilled to present the presgious award to Dr. Alon Harris, MS, PhD, FARVO, a disnguished clinician, researcher, and educator whose work has advanced the understanding of glaucoma and ocular health. You will be hearing from us again soon with more news about this event as well as what’s coming up in our webinar series. In closing, I thank you for being a newsleer reader. We look forward to connuing answering quesons and addressing subjects of importance to you. If there are topics you would like us to explore in future issues, please let us know at info@glaucomafoundaon.org.Thank you,The Glaucoma Foundation | Page Eight Financial Support Securing funding for assisve technology can be dicult, parcularly when tradional health insurance falls short. However, various programs are available to ll this gap, oering essenal nancial support to individuals with disabilies. These iniaves aim to make assisve technology more accessible by providing funding opons that ease nancial burdens. By leveraging these resources, organizaons and individuals can ensure that nancial barriers do not limit access to necessary tools and technologies. Tailored Training Oering training subsidies for new hires with disabilies can greatly enhance their skills and ease their transion into the workplace. These nancial supports encourage the hiring of individuals with disabilies while fostering their professional development, helping them contribute meaningfully to the organizaon. Such iniaves can also alleviate praccal challenges, creang a smoother adjustment period for new employees. By invesng in these programs, you align with broader incenves and promote a more inclusive, empowered, and producve workforce. Fostering an inclusive workplace is a journey that requires dedicaon and thoughul acon. By implemenng these strategies, organizaons can create an environment where employees with disabilies feel valued and supported. This commitment not only enhances the workplace culture but also drives innovaon and success, posioning the organizaon as a leader in diversity and inclusion.Arcle wrien by Camille JohnsonExclusively for TGF