Startup GrayBug: Disruptive RX for Your Eyes

A Baltimore start-up tackles blindness with new innovative treatments.

BY JILL KRASNY, FREELANCE WRITER @JILLKRASNY

Jun 25, 2013 Warby Parker isn’t the only start-up disrupting the vision space. GrayBug, a company that recently won the Invest Maryland Challenge in Baltimore, Maryland, is revolutionizing drug delivery and treatments for the eye.

GrayBug started after three professors at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University–Justin Hanes, Peter Compochiaro, and Peter McDonnell–developed two treatments to help patients who suffer from age-related macular degeneration. The three founders determined that the fastest way to get their innovations to the public was to start a company.

Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in adults 65 and over, with over 20 million cases in the U.S. and Europe. GrayBug estimates that market is worth around $4 billion worldwide.…