Action Center

Since its founding in 1971, the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) has emerged as the world's largest private foundation dedicated to funding innovative research to find preventions, treatments, and cures for retinal degenerative diseases that lead to blindness. These diseases affect more than 10 million people in the United States alone, and millions more worldwide. FFB currently provides funding to 137 different research programs at 74 institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Research for these retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is more important than ever as these diseases are among the major causes of vision loss.

The dry form of AMD accounts for approximately 90 percent of all macular degeneration, and typically affects adults 55 years of age and older. Given the longer life expectancies, dry AMD threatens to reach epidemic proportions within just a few decades. There are virtually no treatments for dry AMD.

In the coming year, FFB seeks congressional support on various issues that directly impact the eye and vision research community and its various research investments:

• Increased congressional funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI). In recent years, annual appropriations for NIH and NEI have stagnated. FFB and its translational research subsidiary, the National Neurovision Research Institute (NNRI), strongly support congressional efforts to more adequately fund vital areas of research and development, especially through increased funding to the NEI.
• Congressional support for embryonic stem cell research. Stem cell research offers opportunities to develop treatments for blinding retinal degenerations. Developing therapies involving stem cell transplantation include protective treatments as well as replacement of missing or non-functional retinal cells. Stem cell therapies provide numerous opportunities for effectively treating inherited retinal degenerations. These therapies also provide greats hope to the millions of Americans losing vision due to age-related macular degeneration. FFB strongly supports policies that encourage new technological developments that enable life-changing progress in all areas of stem cell research.
• Increased defense-related vision research funding. NNRI has requested $6 million in continued DoD funding for the expansion and enhancement of its National Eye Evaluation and Research Network (NEER Network). The NEER network will significantly accelerate and enhance the evaluation and treatment of military personnel and civilians with serious eye injuries and diseases affecting the retina. The NEER Network provides an essential link between scientific advancements in treating eye diseases, and FFB strongly supports increased funding as part of its efforts.
• Congressional support for recent vision-related court decision. Just last month, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that the United States Department of Treasury must design its money in such a way that allows people with visual impairments to differentiate between bills. FFB strongly supports legislative efforts to implement this ruling.