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Patients have a very important part to play in research. Over a million people take part in studies and trials in the UK each year. Without them we would not have the treatments we have today and new and improved treatments would not be possible.

There are many clinical trials and research studies looking at new treatments and ultimately trying to find a cure for macular disease. We are often approached by researchers to help find people willing to take part. Involvement can range from providing feedback on new developments, to undergoing treatment as part of a clinical trial.

Interested in the research we are funding with your generous donations?

The vision of the Macular Society is to end macular disease through funding world-class medical research.

As well as medical research, the Macular Society funds research to help those living with macular disease now. For example, projects on the eccentric viewing technique have helped the Society to train and support those with macular disease to use their remaining vision most effectively.

The vision of the Macular Society is to end macular disease through funding world-class medical research. Everything we fund is aimed at improving the treatment for or quality of life of patients with macular disease. 

Action Against AMD (AAAMD) is a partner of INSIGHT, one of seven ‘digital hubs’ funded by the government through Health Data Research UK, to create a UK-wide system for the safe and responsible use of health-related data on a large scale. The HDR Hub for Eye Health partnership includes experts from a range of backgrounds, including academia and pharmaceutical companies.

Since 1987 the Macular Society has invested around £10 million in over 100 research projects. Each year we invite applications for research grants, PhD studentships and seedcorn grants which are assessed by our Research Committee.

Professor Mike Cheetham, UCL, Institute of Ophthalmology - £250,000

Stargardt disease is often caused by mutations in a gene called ABCA4. Mutations cause the ABCA4 protein produced to fold incorrectly and be removed from the cell. Without any ABCA4 protein the macula becomes damaged, which causes vision loss. This project aims to fix the misfolding, to restore ABCA4 in the cells, and therefore maintain a healthy macula and stop vision loss.

Dr Ruth Hogg, Queen's University Belfast - £249,941

This project uses long-term follow-up of retinal scans from the Northern Ireland Cohort of the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA), to understand what changes in eye scans may be early signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).