Vision Loss Can Be Devastating. We Can Help.

The ability to see clearly and without pain is something that most of us take for granted. For the millions of Americans affected each year by the low visual acuity, dry eye, impaired visual functioning, light sensitivity and disabling eye pain which often accompanies complex corneal disease, it is only a cherished dream.

The Boston Foundation for Sight envisions a world where no one has to suffer with corneal disease. Together we can make this vision a reality.    

More than 90 percent of our knowledge is obtained through our eyes, making vision the most valued of the senses. Indeed, for many who suffer with impaired sight, vision is more valuable than longevity. Time-trade off studies have shown that those with 20/30 - 20/50 vision would be willing to trade 19% of their lifetime for "normal" visual acuity; individuals with 20/200 - 20/400 vision would trade almost half of their lifetime to fully regain their sight.

Vision loss affects us all. In the United States today, 80 million people have potentially blinding eye disorders, and more than four million cases of corneal disease occur annually. Almost half of all working age adults with visual impairments are unemployed. Vision disorders account for a total financial burden of more than $35 billion per year, and the cost of a lifetime of support and unpaid taxes for one blind person is almost $1 million.

The Boston Foundation for Sight has restored the vision and quality of life for thousands of patients from all over the world. To learn more about what we do and how you can help please click here.
 

The Boston Foundation for Sight (BFS) is an internationally renowned not-for-profit eye healthcare organization dedicated to restoring vision and improving quality of life for our patients and their families. We strive to transform the understanding, treatment and care of complex corneal disease within the global medical community and the public at large. Since our founding in 1994, we have been innovative leaders in research and treatment of corneal conditions.

Our 12,000 square foot facility in Needham, MA, includes a state-of-the-art manufacturing lab, a medical institute staffed with seven doctors and a dozen technicians/trainers, a Clinical Research Center and a new Patient and Community Support Center. We enjoy educational partnerships with the renowned Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the New England College of Optometry; each year Cornea Fellows and Optometry Residents come to BFS to be educated in the latest in treatment of corneal disease, and they join our medical staff in cutting-edge clinical research on the next generation of tools in the fight against these insidious diseases of the ocular surface system.

Our Treatment Model

Prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem (PROSE) is a pioneering treatment model developed by the Boston Foundation for Sight to restore vision, support healing, reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for patients suffering with complex corneal disease. PROSE vision rehabilitation uses FDA-approved custom designed and fabricated prosthetic devices to replace or augment the impaired ocular surface ecosystem function.

For many of the thousands of patients with conditions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), dry eye syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome, keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, ocular trauma, complications of LASIK, or complications of cornea transplantation, PROSE can be the ideal, and sometimes only, treatment capable of restoring vision and dramatically reducing symptoms such as eye pain, dry eye, blurry vision and light sensitivity.

PROSE interdisciplinary treatment teams include a cornea specialist ophthalmologist, an optometrist who has completed an intensive 9-week PROSE Clinical Fellowship at BFS, medical assistants, trainers, and prosthetic device manufacturing engineers and technicians. PROSE treatment teams work with each patient, his/her support system and other medical providers to form a collaborative care network where all members work to understand each patient’s specific needs and reach treatment goals together.

PROSE Clinic Network

As of July 2010, we have established eight groundbreaking partnerships with top-ranked specialty eye care centers located in academic medical centers in the US and clinics abroad to offer PROSE. Two clinics are located in Texas: one at the Baylor College of Medicine’s Alkek Eye Center in Houston; the other, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, serves active duty military personnel, including Wounded Warriors. There is a PROSE clinic at the University of Southern California’s Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles. Three international clinics are located in India in Hyderabad and Mumbai; and in Nagoya, Japan.

Our newest partners, the University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor, MI and Weill Cornell Medical College’s Weill Cornell Eye Associates in New York, NY are both now open and seeing patients. Each PROSE clinic is independently operated by our partners who manage scheduling and insurance and provide ongoing care.
 

On July 25 - 31, 2010, the Boston Foundation for Sight (BFS) welcomed children suffering with Stevens Johnson syndrome (SJS) and their families to participate in our first-ever pediatric outreach event – SJS Kid’s Week. From as near as the greater Boston area and as far away as Canada and Africa, 15 families joined together for a week dedicated to the treatment and emotional support of pediatric SJS patients and their families and to raise awareness of this rare but devastating and potentially fatal disease.

Thank you to the local sponsors of SJS Kids Week 2010! We are truly grateful for your support!

Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant
Cookies by Design
Cowlicks Deli
Elizabeth Grady
Hotel Indigo
Kentucky Fried Chicken
La Rotisserie
Learning Express
Museum of Science, Boston
Party Works
Prelude Gifts
Roche Bros.
The Art Emporium
The Walker Center
Whole Foods Market

We are still accepting donations in support of SJS Kids' Week. Please click here to donate.

Please click here for more photos of SJS Kids' Week!

Please click here to read the press release!

Please click here to learn more about Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Please click here to learn more about our PROSE treatment model.

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