Charity News 23 January 2026

The £10,000 Grant That could Change the Future of Glaucoma Research

When people imagine scientific breakthroughs, they often picture vast laboratories, million-pound budgets, and decades of funding behind them.

But sometimes, the most important progress starts much smaller.

For Dr Ben Mead, a £10,000 grant was the turning point that allowed years of glaucoma research — and future sight-saving treatments — to exist at all.

Why early funding matters more than you think

Glaucoma is often called the silent thief of sight.

It damages the optic nerve slowly and painlessly, meaning many people don’t realise their vision is being lost until it’s too late.

It affects millions worldwide, and with populations ageing, that number is only set to rise. Just this week, a report commissioned by Glaucoma UK reported that the number of people living with the condition could be 50% higher than originally thought.

Yet eye research — especially early-stage research — remains chronically underfunded.

That’s where early-career funding becomes critical.

Small grants don’t just fund experiments. They fund momentum.

They allow researchers to:

Re-establish labs
Retain expertise
Maintain international collaborations
Generate the early data needed to unlock larger funding

Without that early support, promising ideas often disappear before they’re fully explored.

From the US back to the UK — keeping momentum going

Before returning to the UK, Dr Mead spent four years at the National Eye Institute in the United States, part of the National Institutes of Health — one of the world’s largest medical research centres.

It was there that he began exploring a promising new area of glaucoma research: exosomes — tiny, fluid-filled sacs released by cells that act as messengers in the body.

Exosomes carry proteins and genetic material, including microRNA, which help regulate how cells survive, repair, and function. Understanding how these tiny messengers behave could be key to slowing the loss of retinal cells in glaucoma.

But moving countries comes with a major risk for scientists.

Without immediate funding, research can stall. Equipment sits unused. Collaborations fade. Expertise is lost.

As Dr Mead puts it:

“It’s very easy to lose those links when you move countries without funding to continue the work.”

The £10,000 that made everything possible

Shortly after returning to the UK, Dr Mead received a £10,000 grant from Fight for Sight, co-funded with Care Research Wales and Glaucoma UK.

It may sound modest. But its impact was anything but.

“Of all the funding I’ve received, the small £10,000 grant at the beginning was probably the most impactful,” he says.

That early support allowed him to:

Re-establish his research at Cardiff University
Build on the work he had done in the US
Generate new data
Publish results
Secure further, larger grants

Crucially, it also allowed international collaborations to continue — ensuring years of accumulated knowledge weren’t lost in the transition.

In short, it turned a vulnerable moment into a launchpad.

From early data to breakthrough discoveries

With continued funding, Dr Mead’s team began exploring how microRNA behave in glaucoma.

MicroRNA act like fine-tune volume controls for our genes — deciding which genes are switched on, turned down, or kept in check. This balance is essential for healthy cells.

Using advanced models known as retinal organoids — often described as “cells in a dish” — the team studied what happens to microRNA levels in glaucoma. This approach allowed them to explore the disease in ways that hadn’t been done before.

What they found was striking.

Some microRNA increased dramatically. Others dropped sharply — by as much as 50 times.

By narrowing thousands of molecules down to a shortlist of key candidates, the researchers identified microRNA that had a powerful effect on retinal cell survival.

This work is now being prepared for publication — a vital step on the path toward future treatments.

Why this matters for all of us

Glaucoma doesn’t progress overnight. Its slowness means there is a real opportunity to intervene — if we understand what’s happening early enough.

Research like this shifts the focus from reacting to vision loss, to preventing it.

As Dr Mead explains:

“We shouldn’t have to accept vision loss as inevitable.”

Yet despite how common conditions like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration are, eye research still receives far less funding than it deserves.

We are all living longer. Many of us will be affected. And the cost — personally, socially, and economically — is enormous.