Chairman's Message
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THE AMERICAN RETINA FOUNDATION is a charitable, non-profit Foundation formed by the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS) to promote public awareness, continuing medical education, research, and treatment of retinal diseases.

Board of Directors

Roy A. Levit, MD
Chairman

Z. Nicholas Zakov, MD
President

G. Philip Matthews, MD
Vice President

Jerald Bovino, MD
Treasurer

Mark E. Hammer, MD
Secretary

Julia Haller, MD
ASRS President

Equgene de Juan, Jr., MD
ASRS Past President

At-Large Members
Brett Foxman, MD
Mark Humayun, MD
Johanna Seddon, MD
Paul tornambe, MD
Allen Verne, MD

Christopher R. Seymour, MBA
Executive Director

DIABETES affects millions of people in the United States alone and that number is expected to rise steadily for the foreseeable future.

• Diabetic Retinopathy can be a devastating complication of Diabetes, costing millions of dollars in lost wages and medical care.
• Diabetic Retinopathy, while perhaps not completely preventable, if treated appropriately and early can be limited and vision preserved.

HYPERTENSION, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES as well as OTHER SYSTEMIC DISEASES can result in retinal manifestations that destroy or damage vision.

MACULAR DEGENERATION is the leading cause of blindness in the aging population. As we live longer this Retinal disorder will become more problematic. With your help and support research will continue to unravel the causes of and create new treatment options for this complex disorder.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES such as tuberculosis, bacterial and viral infections as well as AIDS can involve the Retina and lead to blindness.

RIVER BLINDNESS (Onchocerciasis) and other ocular parasitic diseases that involve the Retina affect many populations around the world. As our world becomes smaller, these diseases are not so far away.

OCULAR MALIGNANCIES, such as RETINOBLASTOMA and INHERITED RETINAL DISORDERS, such as Retinitis Pigmentosa, are at the forefront of Retinal and genetic research.