Glaucoma Australia and its patron Governor-General David Hurley have revealed the 2022 recipient of the charity’s ‘Quinlivan’ Research Grant.
This year’s research grant is awarded to Dr Owen Siggs, Associate Professor at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, in his bid to develop a genomic risk stratification to improve glaucoma suspect triage in rural primary care.
Siggs said optometrists are often faced with difficult decisions regarding referral for a specialist glaucoma assessment. This is especially critical in a rural setting, where specialist glaucoma practitioners are in limited supply.
“Pinpointing individuals at highest risk of glaucoma blindness is a critical challenge, particularly for those in rural, regional, and remote areas where access to specialist care is limited,” he said.
“This study will test a new genetic risk prediction tool for glaucoma, to determine if it can help predict outcomes in glaucoma suspects presenting to rural optometry practices, with the ultimate aim of improving referral pathways for all glaucoma suspects.”
Siggs and his team will perform a world-first assessment of the utility of a glaucoma polygenic risk score to predict outcomes amongst glaucoma suspects assessed in a rural primary care setting.
“We hope the results of this study can be used to improve the ability of primary care practitioners to identify which glaucoma suspects require urgent referral to a specialist ophthalmology service, and which suspects can be monitored in a primary care setting,” he said.
“This could, in turn, improve the quality of treatment and monitoring for both high and low risk glaucoma suspects.”
Ultimately, Siggs hopes this research will play a key role in both increasing the rate of early detection as well as improving the treatment experience for people living with glaucoma.
“The team and I are delighted and grateful to be named recipients of the Quinlivan Grant and thank Glaucoma Australia for their ongoing partnership and generous support. Pinpointing individuals at highest risk of glaucoma blindness is a critical challenge, particularly for those in rural, regional, and remote areas where access to specialist care is limited. We hope our project will go some way towards addressing this, and are excited to get underway,” he added.
Governor-General Hurley congratulated Siggs on receiving the 2022 Glaucoma Australia ‘Quinlivan’ Research Grant.
“The work of researchers such as Dr Siggs and his team, and by Glaucoma Australia, is so important in the fight against glaucoma blindness,” he said.
GA’s support for research focuses on four domains, which are framed around its mission ‘to eliminate glaucoma blindness’.
- Increasing the rate and reliability of early detection of glaucoma
- Improving the treatment experience
- Improving the quality and experience of monitoring the condition for progression and maintaining better population wide statistics
- Providing management tools to improve the quality of life for people with glaucoma.
The ‘Quinlivan’ Research Grants are awarded following rigorous evaluation, based largely on the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) process, along with peer review, to ensure successful applicants meet high standards. Submissions are reviewed by the Glaucoma Australia Independent Research Panel consisting of internationally recognised experts in glaucoma research, including the fields of ophthalmology, optometry and pharmacy.
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