Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) has awarded a grant of $100,000 to the Department of Ophthalmology at Duke University School of Medicine to support research into the causes, treatments, and prevention of blinding diseases.

The research will be directed by David Epstein, MD, MMM, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology.

RPB is the world’s leading voluntary organization supporting eye research. To date, the organization has awarded grants totaling $5,713,350 to Duke University School of Medicine.

“This grant helps Duke Eye Center to further its goal of curing blinding diseases. Without RPB’s contributions, this goal would essentially be unattainable -- these funds provide hope to millions of people around the world with debilitating eye diseases. We can’t thank them enough for their support over the years,” says Epstein.

Since it was founded in 1960, RPB has channeled hundreds of millions of dollars to medical institutions throughout the United States for research into all blinding eye diseases.

For information on RPB, RPB-funded research, eye disorders, and the RPB Grants Program, go to www.rpbusa.org.