WHAT: Award Winning Eye Researchers Showcase Pioneering Treatment for Age-Related Macular Degeneration at Denver Annual Conference
WHO: Joan Miller, MD, FARVO and Napoleone Ferrara, MD, recipients of the $1.3 million António Champalimaud Vision Award
WHERE: Four Seasons BallroomColorado Convention Center, Denver
WHEN: Tuesday, May 5, 5:45 to 7 pm
Editor’s Note: Denver-area Experts and Patients Available for Interview
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Breakthrough Eye ResearchMiller and Ferrara are among seven recipients of the $1.3 million António Champalimaud Vision Award, the world’s highest distinction in ophthalmology and visual science, for their pioneering work to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in people over age 50.
AMD in the News (and on the Rise)At the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival in April, actress Roseanne Barr revealed she is one of 2.1 million Americans suffering from the disease, which is slowly taking away her eyesight (other celebrities with AMD include Dame Judy Dench and Stephen King). As the Baby Boomer Generation ages, it is estimated that by 2030, some 3.7 million Americans will be diagnosed with AMD.
New PSAs link smoking and AMDMany Americans have been made aware of the potential for cigarette smoking as one cause of AMD through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s graphic PSA, Marlene’s Story, showing a patient undergoing the monthly eye injections that will help preserve her sight.
###
The Association for Research and Vision in Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include nearly 12,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders. Recipients of the Champalimaud Vision Award deliver the ARVO/Champalimaud Award Lecture at the ARVO Annual Meeting every May.
The António Champalimaud Vision Award, established by the Champalimaud Foundation in 2006, honors outstanding contributions to the preservation and understanding of sight. In even-numbered years, the award is given for vision research, and in alternate years it recognizes efforts to alleviate visual problems in developing countries or through humanitarian endeavors.
Award recipients are selected by an international jury panel that includes two Nobel Laureates and other prominent figures. The Champalimaud Vision Award is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for Vision” as its purse is among the world’s largest scientific and humanitarian prizes. ###
RSS