Jul 20, 2018

Call to Action: Ask Congress to Support $1 Billion in Eye Research

Eye On the Cure Research News

Call to Action: Ask Congress to Support $1 Billion in Eye Research

Get updates on Eye On the Cure Research News
The Faster Treatments and Cures for Eye Diseases Act Banner

An important bill has been introduced to the US House of Representatives that has the potential to greatly increase research funding for all blinding eye conditions, including retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, Leber congenital amaurosis, Usher syndrome, and age-related macular degeneration.

We at the Foundation are asking you to write or call your Member of the House of Representatives to ask them to support H.R. 6421, the Faster Treatments and Cures for Eye Diseases Act. Co-sponsors of the bill include: Pete Sessions (TX), Sanford Bishop (GA), Fred Upton (MI), and Gus Bilirakis (FL).

Visit Find Your Representative to get information for reaching your House Member.

This legislation, which has bipartisan support, would significantly increase funding for the translational biomedical research that will speed development of treatments and cures for all eye conditions, including inherited retinal diseases, from the lab out to the people and families who desperately need them.

The Foundation Fighting Blindness has been a driving force for this critical legislation, and your support now can make it become a reality.

H.R. 6421 creates new financial instruments called Eye-Bonds which will create $1 billion of new funding specifically designated for treatments and cures for all causes of blindness and severe vision loss. These funds would be backed by a limited federal guarantee. Given current federal deficits, this guarantee has been carefully constructed to ensure that it works for all of us and should have no material impact on the deficit.

See the Foundation's press release for more details on the bill.

With your help, we can get these projects the funding they need to advance them towards becoming treatments and cures. Please reach out to your House Member today and ask him or her to support H.R. 6421, the Faster Treatments and Cures for Eye Diseases Act.

Again,visit Find Your Representative to get information for reaching your House Member

Thanks for supporting this vision-saving legislation!