University Times

UPMC’s Center for Vision Restoration and Pitt announced a $3 million gift from alumnus Louis J. Fox. UPMC has pledged to match Fox’s donation.

Fox was diagnosed 10 years ago with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), an incurable condition caused by blood vessel obstruction.

To honor him the center is being renamed the Louis J. Fox Center for Vision Restoration.The center is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary research and clinical program dedicated to ocular regenerative medicine and improving quality of life for the vision-impaired. Its main focus is discovery and development of cures for blindness and visual impairment.

Through basic and clinical research, the center will provide vision restoration through the augmentation of existing visual pathways or by providing vision through non-visual means.

Visual impairment is a significant problem. More than one in 10 of all combat wounds during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been eye injuries and, in some cases, have left service members with impaired vision.

In addition, the World Health Organization estimates that about 120 million people worldwide are visually impaired due to cataracts, corneal scarring, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other conditions.