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Welcome to the VISION RESEARCH FOUNDATIONMission Statement The Vision Research Foundation mission is to support the work of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Vision Research Center at Truman Medical Center (VRC), in becoming a national center for eye research where Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy and ocular diseases will be researched by the best minds in the country. "What price can you place on sight? It’s free while you have it and incalculable when it’s gone. This is the motivation behind the campaign to establish a nationally-prominent vision research center in Kansas City. The University of Missouri-Kansas City Vision Research Center at Truman Medical Center (VRC) will not only be a state-of-the art facility combining clinical and basic research, it will attract the best and the brightest minds to work together in the diagnosis and treatment of Age-related Macular Degeneration, Diabetic Retinopathy, Glaucoma and other ocular diseases. Kansas City is already well known for its leadership and innovation in eye research. The Vision Research Center will build on this reputation as it takes part in the region’s burgeoning bioscience initiative and opens eyes to all that Kansas City has to offer. VRC is truly a “Vision for the Future” right here…right now." Nelson R. Sabates, M.D., FACS Low vision or blindness affects more than three million Americans over the age of forty, and the number of individuals impacted by diminished or lost sight is expected to exceed five million by the year 2020. One of the more obvious reasons for this increase is due to longevity. Advances in medicine have provided us with stronger hearts, effective medications, new hips and knees, and a myriad of health improvements that directly translate into longer lives. When it comes to living active, fulfilling 21st century lifestyles: eighty is the new sixty. Unfortunately, the deteriorating effects of various eye-related ailments such as glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and, in particular, Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) rob many older adults of what could be some of their best years. And the loss of sight significantly impacts all those around the affected individual. When an elderly adult, albeit someone still young at heart, is diagnosed with an ocular disease, it becomes a concern for the whole family. Everything, no matter how simple it once was, becomes a complication, an inconvenience, and not at all what anyone had hoped for themselves or for their loved ones.
It is estimated that over 7.3 million people over the age of 40 have early signs of AMD—the most common cause of decreased vision in people over 65. Diabetic retinopathy also affects millions of individuals and the numbers are rising rapidly due to an increase in the incidence of diabetes. Glaucoma, another thief of sight among otherwise healthy adults, is the most common cause of decreased vision in the African-American population. With the formation of the new Vision Research Foundation (VRF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to support the work of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Vision Research Center at Truman Medical Center (VRC), Kansas City is well on its way to becoming a national center for eye research where these ocular diseases and others will be researched by the best minds in the country. The scientific laboratory results will then be transferred seamlessly into practical use with patients. This delivery process of basic science to clinical application is called translational research.
By virtue of our relationship with the Truman Medical Center the beneficiaries of this research will include those least likely to afford this cutting edge research. Patients are not limited to the wealthy elderly, as a matter of fact, it’s quite the opposite. Adults and children of all ages; ethnicity; and socio-economic status will benefit from the research.
Yes, it’s a lofty goal, but it’s also doable. Kansas City is already positioned to lead the way in research, application, and education; and the VRC has the potential to become the premiere vision research center in the Midwest, if not the entire nation.
The hospital term “stat,” from the Latin word statim, is an expression that we commonly understand to mean “at once” or “immediately.” We can imagine doctors calling it out in the ER, “We need that stat!” We feel the urgency that it conveys. We understand that without help, something of great value is at risk of being lost forever. But when it comes to diminishing eyesight, the loss is often deceptively gradual. There’s no one yelling, “Stat!” No one rushing around to save us from a future without vision…without hope. Now, there is: The UMKC Vision Research Center at Truman Medical Center is dedicated to bringing solutions to ocular disease, stat. As dedicated as researchers and clinicians may be, the path from the laboratory to a patient’s bedside can appear to be a labyrinth—the proverbial “journey of a thousand miles,” rather than the simple walk down the hallway that we would hope it could be. It can literally take years for discoveries—workable solutions—to make their way into a clinical setting. The VRC is currently recruiting some of the world’s most renowned researchers to come to Kansas City in order to complement existing work taking place at Truman Medical Center’s Eye Foundation, the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, and the Kansas City Area Life Sciences Institute. There is also significant work already taking place at UMKC in the School of Pharmacy and in the Department of Ophthalmology. The Department of Ophthalmology is also a clinical department at Truman Medical Center Through the numerous clinical trials already being conducted, the VRC is expected to gain national prominence through various publications and scientific presentations by associated faculty members, researchers, post-doctoral associates, and graduate students. It will also provide significant opportunities for students and residents at the UMKC School of Medicine and the School of Pharmacy to work on innovative research studies. But for all its prominence and visibility, the bottom line will always be to deliver the best ocular research and treatment to where it is needed most—to give patients a vision for the future…a future with vision. Why Kansas City? Why not! It is a city with a strong reputation for education, innovation, and generosity. It is also a community that can attract the highest quality researchers in the country. While the UMKC Vision Research Center at Truman Medical Center is not yet well known, its many collaborative partners have the credibility, expertise, and most importantly, the passion to make great strides in the areas of diagnosis and treatment of complex, ocular diseases—especially that of macular degeneration. Patients from throughout the region already come to us for our nationally-recognized staff, modern facilities, state-of-the-art equipment, pioneering of new procedures, and comprehensive approach to eye care. The Vision Research Center of Kansas City has some of the most advanced and proven refractive surgery techniques and a long history of helping to advance laser eye surgery. At the UMKC Vision Research Center, doctors, scientists, and clinical researchers from the UMKC School of Medicine, the School of Pharmacy, Truman Medical Center, and others will work together to find new solutions and bring vision for the future.
Kansas City is already well known for its great art, academics, and theater, as well as its unparalleled generosity. It is a city rich in culture and in character and it deserves to be seen clearly. Funding for this campaign is urgently needed to attract and retain the best research teams to the VRC in order to establish a world-class center in the center of the country. This campaign will be a major unprecedented fundraising collaboration between the Truman Medical Center Charitable Foundation and UMKC in partnership with the Vision Research Foundation of Kansas City. Your support for the UMKC Vision Research Center at Truman Medical Center will not only help treat ocular disease, it will allow the world to see Kansas City for what it is: a leader in science and medicine, and a city with a clear Vision for the Future. |
