The first ever walkathon on behalf of AMDF is being held in San Francisco next weekend. Click to support! (fb)

Vision research is under threat, but read on for ways you can get involved. Today the AAO announced in a press release: “The nation’s vision community is ramping up its defense of the National Eye Institute (NEI) and its 57-year track record of progress amid mounting threats to slash federal vision funding and consolidate the NEI into a broader institute on brain and dental research. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO), American Academy of Optometry (AAOptom), Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) and Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) are working together to staunchly oppose any proposal to consolidate the NEI into a broader Institute on Neuroscience and Brain Research. This week, we launched our #SeeWhatMatters campaign, an educational and grassroots advocacy effort to elevate the profile of federally funded vision research, reinforce the critical need to keep NEI independent, and demonstrate how the NEI has touched countless lives with vision saved and improved quality of life. The campaign provides all stakeholders, including patients, researchers, clinicians, industry, and advocates with a unified message and shared tools to tell the story of why vision research matters to every American” (fb)