Vision impairment represents a problem

Vision impairment is one of the ten most frequent causes of disability in America, providing powerful motivation to advance vision rehabilitation.

There is a growing need in the United States, and the world, for improvements in the quality of care for individuals suffering from a variety of vision impairments. Whether the impairment is the result of disease or trauma, the needs of patients are poorly addressed based on the current state of patient care. Impairments represent a significant burden on families coupled with genuine loss of human potential for the community and workplace. 
 

Fox Center works on the problem

The Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration (Fox Center) of the UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh is the first national, comprehensive, multi-disciplinary research and clinical program dedicated to ocular regenerative medicine.

We need your help

The University of Pittsburgh ranked fifth in terms of funds attracted from the National Institutes of Health, joining the remarkable group of top NIH recipients: Harvard, John Hopkins, Penn and the University of California San Francisco. These funds must be supplemented by individual donations in order for us to really  make a difference. Your support will ensure that we focus on efforts to make immediate improvement in patient lives. Your support will make a difference in the life of the vision impaired: a family member, a friend or a person you might never encounter, but who will live an engaged and productive life.

 

Donate Now

Donations can be made through this page.

 

Donation Contact

 

Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration
203 Lothrop Street/EEI 815, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone:412.864.1886
Email:  farrelljb@upmc.edu


Mission

The Fox Center focuses on the restoration of sight through technology, tissue regeneration and transplantation. We optimize quality of life for those challenged by vision loss. We insure that individuals and their loved ones know they are not alone in addressing this challenge. We seek to maximize participation in work, community, and society of those who lose their sight for any reason. Finally, we educate the sighted community on the prevalence of vision loss in America and around the world.

Vision

We envisage a world where vision assistive devices are as common as audio assistive devices. We are building a world where blindness is just a characteristic, where we partner with blind people to lead a fully productive life in our families, workplaces and communities. We envisage a world where vision loss is just a memory.

Long term objective

To discover and develop new cures for blindness and impairment through basic and clinical research.

Short-term objective

To restore hope and improve the quality of life for those currently suffering from vision loss.

Our research projects

To achieve our objectives we are raising funds for the following research projects:

  • Sensory substitution: “seeing” with the tongue
  • Regeneration of the optic nerve
  • Understanding the genetic causes of blinding diseases: Retinitis Pigmentosa and Leber’s congenital amaurosis
  • Decreasing the resistance of bacteria to antibiotics
  • Making the treatment for Age Related Macular Degeneration easier
  • Glaucoma: understanding the characteristics of stem cells and the eye drainage system
  • Decreasing the rejection risks in corneal transplants
  • Maintaining a healthy ocular surface: improved therapies for dry eye