Vision research has received a major boost thanks to CERA's supporters contributing almost $190,000 on the third Hope in Sight Giving Day.
"Seeing our community come together in such a big way to support our vital research is overwhelming," says Professor Keith Martin, Managing Director of CERA.
"Their contributions are putting us closer to new treatments for eye diseases."
"On behalf of CERA, I would like to share a big thank you to everyone who contributed to Hope in Sight Giving Day - including our anonymous supporters who generously tripled the first $50,000 in individual donations we received on the day."
Jasmine's journey
Jasmine Mercieca, who shared her story of living with retinitis pigmentosa in support of this year's Hope in Sight Giving Day, says she was "blown away" with the outcome.
"I'm so thankful this important research can continue and hopefully lead to new, breakthrough treatments for people like myself."
Sight-saving research
Inherited retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, macular dystrophy and a range of rarer genetic conditions are the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults.
Until recently, someone diagnosed with an IRD was told progressive and irreversible vision loss was inevitable. However, rapid advances in gene and cell therapy research have brought new therapies close to being implemented.
The donations received on the day will contribute to CERA's ongoing fight to save sight, supporting efforts ranging from lab-based research to new clinical trials for these conditions.
Some of this research will be presented at CERA's Hope in Sight Community Forum, which has been rescheduled to Thursday 3 November due to the recent extreme weather in Melbourne.
Donors and supporters will be welcomed to the Melbourne Museum for CERA's first in-person event in over two years to learn about the latest in vision research.
Free tickets are still available, though registrations are essential.
Join Professor Robyn Guymer, Associate Professor Lyndell Lim and Associate Professor Peter van Wijngaarden on Thursday 3 November to discuss the latest in vision research.
Inherited retinal diseases are a broad group of genetic eye conditions that cause vision loss and sometimes, legal blindness. They can occur from birth through to late adulthood.
