BrightFocus Foundation

Our urgent goal — saving mind and sight through research

We drive innovative research worldwide and support awareness to end Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

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Photos of Pasquale, Evelyn, and Gio who are featured in the PSAs

The Impact of Alzheimer's

We're here to help.

Explore our tools, tips, and expert advice to help you understand, manage, and live with Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma.

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Understand your diagnosis and get support with making decisions.
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Get useful information to help you manage your disease and care
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Learn what it’s like to care for someone and get caregiver tips.

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Expert

Treatments for Open-Angle Glaucoma

There are many effective and different treatments for open-angle glaucoma, but the one unifying concept is that all current treatments are designed to lower eye pressure.

August 5, 2019
Expert

What Are the Symptoms of Vascular Dementia?

Learn about the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and movement symptoms that may be associated with vascular dementia.

August 5, 2019
New Diagnosis?

Managing a mind and sight disease is a journey. And you’re not alone. We can help.

Take the first step
Expert

What Causes Macular Drusen?

Drusen is a German word meaning “geode.” Since they are the defining feature of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it’s important to understand what causes them to form. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to treatments that decrease the risk of disease progression.

July 29, 2019
Expert

Uveitis and Glaucoma: Is there a Connection?

Learn about uveitis: symptoms associated with this eye condition, treatment options, and how it is related to glaucoma.

July 15, 2019
Expert

What is Vascular Dementia?

Vascular dementia is regarded by some authorities as the second most common dementia in older adults. It is caused by damage to brain cells deprived of blood flow and life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients due to reduced circulation or blockage of the brain’s blood vessels. The subsequent brain damage results in cognition and behavior changes.

July 8, 2019

Expert

What Are the Symptoms of Vascular Dementia?

Learn about the cognitive, behavioral, emotional and movement symptoms that may be associated with vascular dementia.

August 5, 2019
Expert

What is Vascular Dementia?

Vascular dementia is regarded by some authorities as the second most common dementia in older adults. It is caused by damage to brain cells deprived of blood flow and life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients due to reduced circulation or blockage of the brain’s blood vessels. The subsequent brain damage results in cognition and behavior changes.

July 8, 2019
New Diagnosis?

Managing a mind and sight disease is a journey. And you’re not alone. We can help.

Take the first step
Expert

Symptoms of Frontotemporal Dementia

Frontotemporal dementia is a form of dementia in which behavior and language are first to show dramatic changes, unlike Alzheimer’s disease, which typically begins with memory disturbance.

June 10, 2019
Expert

Tau Protein and Alzheimer’s Disease: What’s the Connection?

Neurofibrillary tangles are insoluble twisted fibers found inside the brain's cells. These tangles consist primarily of a protein called tau. Learn more about the connection of tau to Alzheimer’s disease and current research that is focused on this protein.

May 6, 2019
What happens to your brain during Alzheimer's Disease?
Track how nerve cells and the brain change from healthy to affected by mild and then severe Alzheimer's disease.
View Infographic

Expert

Anti-VEGF Treatments for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Learn what anti-VEGF treatments are and how they are used to manage the wet form of age-related macular degeneration.

July 2, 2019
Expert

Sorsby’s Fundus Dystrophy

Learn about the diagnosis and treatment of a rare form of inherited retinal degeneration, called Sorsby’s fundus dystrophy, which can appear similar to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), especially in its early stages.

June 2, 2019
New Diagnosis?

Managing a mind and sight disease is a journey. And you’re not alone. We can help.

Take the first step
Expert

Cell Transplants for Advanced Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Learn about the potential for cell transplantation for the treatment of the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration, with some very important information about clinical trials.

May 20, 2019
By 202040 million
People will have visual impairments from advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
View Infographic
Expert

What Causes Macular Drusen?

Drusen is a German word meaning “geode.” Since they are the defining feature of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it’s important to understand what causes them to form. Understanding these mechanisms may lead to treatments that decrease the risk of disease progression.

July 29, 2019

Expert

Treatments for Open-Angle Glaucoma

There are many effective and different treatments for open-angle glaucoma, but the one unifying concept is that all current treatments are designed to lower eye pressure.

August 5, 2019
Expert

Uveitis and Glaucoma: Is there a Connection?

Learn about uveitis: symptoms associated with this eye condition, treatment options, and how it is related to glaucoma.

July 15, 2019
New Diagnosis?

Managing a mind and sight disease is a journey. And you’re not alone. We can help.

Take the first step
Expert

Eye Drops vs. Laser Treatment for Glaucoma

Learn about the results of a recent clinical trial comparing glaucoma medications and laser therapy for primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.

June 17, 2019
Expert

Can Vitrectomy Increase the Risk of Developing Glaucoma?

Learn why vitrectomy may impact eye pressure, so that you can talk with your eye doctor about the risks and benefits of this surgery.

April 15, 2019
More than3 million
Americans aged 40 and older have glaucoma. It is estimated that the number will double to 6 million people by 2050.
View Infographic

Stories & Thanks

World War II veteran Gonzalo wrote a book about caring for his wife, Dolores.
Add Your Story
Thank you to everyone who is working on Alzheimer's research! This is a terrible disease that not only affects the person, but their whole family and loved ones. God bless and guide you as you work to eradicate this horrible disease!
Brenda from Florida
Thank a Researcher

Our Impact

We have one, important goal: to end brain and eye diseases in our lifetime.

Learn more

We support innovative science through our three programs:

Alzheimer’s Disease Research
Macular Degeneration Research
National Glaucoma Research

Learn more about our grants

Promising Science

Can We Clear Toxic Proteins from the Brain? An Encouraging Breakthrough
Research by BrightFocus grantee Matthew Campbell, PhD, of Trinity College Dublin, suggests a unique way to help clear the brain of toxic amyloid beta protein, which contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s.
Scientists Uncover New Clues About How Macular Degeneration Forms
An international research team has uncovered some clues to how age-related macular degeneration (AMD) begins, and their findings could lead to new avenues of research and early diagnosis.
Treating Alzheimer’s Before It Becomes Alzheimer’s
Up until now, the best method scientists have had to fight Alzheimer’s has been using drugs to treat the symptoms of the disease after they start to show. But new research offers them new hopes for treatments to attack the disease sooner.

BrightFocus Updates

Helping Yourself and Others Adapt to Low Vision

Dan and Chris Roberts, a married couple from Missouri, offer to share their experiences with low vision, and caregiving, respectively.

Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Cure in Mind, Cure in Sight – Bridging Brain and Eye Research

Diseases of mind and sight share neurodegenerative features in common. BrightFocus is leading the way to explore them so that what’s learned about one disease may benefit another in the search for cures.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019
BrightFocus Foundation Issues RFP for New Alzheimer’s Research

BrightFocus Foundation, through its Alzheimer’s Disease Research program, today issued a request for proposals for promising research on Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019