Two researchers from the University of Utah's Moran Eye Center have received awards from Research to Prevent Blindness. The awards, which total more than $100,000, will be used to support the researchers' work in understanding the eye's retina.
Eric M. Lasater, a Ph.D. and vice chairman and professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, received an RPB Lew R. Wasserman Merit Award, which recognizes scientists who hold leadership positions in ophthalmology. Dr. Paul S. Bernstein, who has both a medical degree and a Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, received the organization's $50,000 Sybil B. Harrington Scholar Award for his research into the causes, treatment and prevention of age-related macular degeneration.
Lasater plans to use the funding to study the role calcium plays in eye diseases such as glaucoma. Scientists know calcium is needed for normal communication between cells in the retina. What isn't known is what calcium actually does.
Bernstein's research focuses on using diet to prevent age-related macular degeneration. He is studying whether eating dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, collard greens and kale and yellow and orange-colored fruits and vegetables can protect the eye from light-induced damage and aging.