AEVR ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER KERATOCONUS CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING RECOGNIZING NATIONAL KERATOCONUS DAY 2017

(Washington, D.C.) Today, the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research’s (AEVR) Decade of Vision 2010-2020 Initiative announced its first-ever Congressional Briefing dedicated to Keratoconus research entitled Spearheading Keratoconus Research: A Quest for Novel Treatments to be held Tuesday, November 7, 2017, from 12 Noon to 1:15 pm in the Rayburn House Office Building Room 2075. RSVP to Dina Beaumont at 202-407-8325 or dinabeau@aol.com.

Keratoconus (KC) is an eye condition in which the normally round, clear, dome-shaped cornea progressively thins, causing a cone-like bulge to develop. This results in blurring and distortion of vision and increased sensitivity to light. Featured speaker Dimitrios Karamichos, PhD (Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Cell Biology at the Dean McGee Eye Institute at the University of Oklahoma) will discuss the latest research discoveries—many funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—that are directed towards the development of novel, non-invasive, and tailor-made treatments, depending on the patient status and KC severity.

Dr. Karamichos will be joined by Washington, D.C.-based patient advocate Rachel Dungan, who won the inaugural National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF) Short Film Festival. NKCF Executive Director Mary Prudden, JD will introduce Ms. Dungan and announce other patient advocacy and educational activities around the November 10 National Keratoconus Day. Other organizations sponsoring the Briefing include Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB), the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and Eye Bank Association of America (EBAA).

Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR), a 501(c)3 non-profit foundation, is proud to announce this educational program associated with its Decade of Vision 2010-2020 Initiative, a sustained educational effort acknowledged by Congress that recognizes the benefits of federally funded vision research. Visit its Web site at www.eyeresearch.org.