Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness and visual impairment, affecting around 80 million patients worldwide. It’s also one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases.
Currently, the only approved way to manage glaucoma is through lowering pressure in the eye, but these treatments don’t work for everyone, and they don’t address the neurodegeneration that is a hallmark of the disease. That’s why recent research has investigated the potential therapeutic effects of something called ‘nicotinamide’ (otherwise known as NAM; a form of vitamin B3 that’s found in the diet or supplements). To put it simply, NAM can help to increase the amount of energy our cells have.
For this webinar we will be joined by Professor Ted Garway-Heath from UCL, and Associate Professor Gerassimos Lascaratos, who have been funded by Fight for Sight for their work on glaucoma.
This webinar will take place on 21 April 2026 at 1-2pm.
About the speakers
Back in 2016, Fight for Sight awarded Gerassimos Lascaratos, our New Lecturers Award for his project with Professor Ted Garway-Heath in glaucoma.
This grant enabled the team to identify indicators (also known as ‘biomarkers’) linked to poor treatment response. Further work showed this includes lower levels of a molecule called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), which is important for the function of cells. NAD is made from vitamin B3 in the diet. The team went on to conduct further research which was published in Nature Medicine.
Professor Ted Garway-Heath
Ted Garway-Heath is a Professor of Ophthalmology at UCL, and a consultant ophthalmic eye surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital. He was recently inducted into the Ophthalmologist Power List Hall of Fame for his longstanding research into glaucoma.
Associate Professor Gerassimos Lascaratos
Gerassimos Lascaratos is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon. Along with Ted, he is co-leading a novel phase III multicentre randomised clinical trial in glaucoma investigating the role of nicotinamide (NAM) in improving mitochondrial function and delaying disease progression (NAMinG trial).
Who will benefit from this webinar?
The session will interest:
- Families impacted by sight loss
- Anyone curious about glaucoma research
- Fellow researchers in the field of ophthalmology
- Potential research funders
- Anyone considering applying for research funding
