The Corneal Dystrophy Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) Public Benefit Charity.
We are a volunteer-driven organization and all contributions go towards sustaining our current programs and working towards new programs to help educate both the
public and patients about corneal dystrophies.
The Foundation provides support for several Corneal Dystrophy on line groups on the Internet: Fuchs’ Friends and Cornea Transplant groups on YahooGroups.
The Cornea is the “window to the eye”. It is the crystal clear, slightly domed part of the eye through which you see your iris and pupil.
Corneal Dystrophy is an eye condition in which the
cornea thickness increases due to elevated pressure within the cornea. Normally corneal dystrophy is a slowly progressing disease. For more explicit detail click the following phrase - Corneal Dystrophy.
About Fuchs’ Support Groups:
We established the original support group for Fuchs’ Dystrophy in 1998. Its name is
Fuchs’ Friends
Since then, other groups have popped up on the Internet Unfortunately, a great deal of medically incorrect information has been disseminated to people who
have joined other groups.
A group of ophthalmologists monitor our message board to ensure we do not give medical advice. We are patient-advocates, not medical professionals.
Our foundation is listed by the National Institute of Health at their website as a recognized support group for Fuchs’ Corneal Dystrophy.
Over 5000 people have been members of Fuchs’ Friends in the past decade. Membership is worldwide. We currently represent 65 countries. Our discussion board with almost
100,000 logged messages provides sharing of experiences, information and support. Members discuss all aspects of corneal dystrophy, including symptoms, coping, treatment,
transplants, recovery progress, insurance and research.
Volunteer Moderators within the Foundation maintain more than 300 pages of information for members, regarding
- The latest information on advanced transplant procedures.
- Research on and access to important information about corneal dystrophy and related vision issues covered in web sites, print media articles, and research papers.
- Tips for coping with the visual impairments of corneal dystrophy.
- A list of doctors recommended by member/patients.
- Tips for use of special accessibility features in computer operating systems.
- Sources for special sunglasses and helpful visual equipment.
- DVDs, videos, pictures and speakers’ content from our events.
In alternate years we host an educational symposium and
conference in a major US city for the purpose of meeting and hearing top corneal specialists, researchers, and other eye care professionals deliver the latest information on corneal
Dystrophys in areas of surgery, studies, genetics and practical ways of coping with the disease.
We continue to present and expand our educational symposiums and conferences, online information, and corneal
dystrophy publications. The Foundation offers our support to eye care professionals in matters of patient information and training, advances in treatment, and corneal dystrophy research.
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