In today's fiscal climate, cuts to spending for health care research are a serious possibility. The National Institutes of Health have made significant strides towards developing a cure for various diseases that cause blindness, including glaucoma, cataracts and AMD. These advances could not have come at a better time for our nation, as our aging population is expected to result in an estimated 20 million people facing vision loss by 2020, according to the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Contributions from the private sector help, but support from the NIH will be essential to developing a cure.
Mr. President, please propose and fight for legislation that ensures the continued full funding of NIH blindness research and the Audacious Goals in Vision Research initiative.