Gene Therapy Reactivates Retina, Restores Vision
An international research team, funded in part by the Foundation Fighting Blindness, has used gene therapy to reactivate retinal cells that were previously unresponsive to light. The treatment was delivered to cones, the retinal cells that provide central and daytime vision.

French Researchers Planning Clinical Study of Vision-Preserving Protein
A promising treatment aimed at preserving cones, the retinal cells that provide central and daytime vision, is poised to move into a Phase I clinical trial within the next year. Known as rod-derived cone viability factor (RdCVF), the therapeutic protein has consistently preserved vision in several preclinical studies.

Piecing Together the Complex AMD Puzzle
Thanks to over 20 years of clinical research involving more than 8,500 people, Johanna M. Seddon, M.D., a nationally recognized macular degeneration specialist and genetic epidemiologist, has identified a number of lifestyle factors, such as smoking and diet, which can affect a person’s risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD).




City Rallies Big for Jack Hogan’s Vision
Five-year-old Jack Hogan has stolen the hearts of Bayonne, New Jersey. When his parents, Jeanette and Shawn, formed a VisionWalk team to raise money for research to cure the retinitis pigmentosa that’s stealing his vision, they reached out to their friends and family, but never did they expect the flood of support they got from their local community.

Never Walking Alone
After losing his job and his vision, Lee Shayler walked one mile every hour for 42 days straight to raise money for sight-saving research. He and his family brought in more than $15,000.