2025 Research Grant Recipient

Reducing the risk of end-stage complications of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD): macular atrophy and subretinal fibrosis 

Professor Mark Gillies is a specialist ophthalmologist whose research focuses on the causes and treatment of retinal diseases, including AMD, diabetic retinopathy and macular telangiectasia (MacTel). He is the Director of Research at the Save Sight Institute, University of Sydney, and is actively involved in patient care both through his ophthalmology practice and as Head of the Medical Retina Clinic at Sydney Eye Hospital. Professor Gillies and his team have developed some of the world’s most advanced computer software to track the “real-world” outcomes of eye injection treatments for macular disease, through the Fight Retinal Blindness! (FRB!) Project, and have made significant contributions to the understanding of retinal diseases.  

About half of the people treated for AMD with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) eye injections for neovascular AMD will develop macular atrophy (the death of outer macular cells, i.e. the photoreceptor cells that detect light) or subretinal fibrosis (scarring beneath the macula), both of which cause irreversible vision loss.   

The goal of Professor Gillies’ project is to discover which of the six currently available anti-VEGF eye injection treatments are least likely to lead to macular atrophy or scarring beneath the macula. Professor Gillies and his team also plan to investigate whether tolerating fluid under the retina, a sign of active neovascular AMD, by injecting less frequently, is linked to a reduced risk of developing macular atrophy.  

The findings from this study may guide treatment choices and provide valuable insights into the long-term risks of emerging AMD treatments.  

Published: 11 August, 2025