|
About Retina Australia (WA)
Formerly the WA Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation was formed in 1978 by Dr Arnold Cook and has been committed since then to raise funds for research into inherited retinal diseases. Over the ensuing years in excess of $2.5 million has been raised for research.
Degenerative Retinopathies affect millions of people worldwide, both young and old, often leading to severe visual impairment or blindness. These diseases mainly fall into two categories; Retinitis Pigmentosa (and RP-like disease) and Macular Degenerations (MD). Juvenile forms of MD are generally referred to as 'Macular Dystrophies' and include e.g. Stargardt's Disease and Best's Disease, both causing severe visual impairment in children. The term 'Macular Degeneration' is more commonly associated with the age related forms and include both wet and dry AMD. AMD is the largest grouping within the broader MD group and most commonly occurs in people over 50, being the leading cause of vision loss of those over 65. AMD is genetic in nature although environmental factors are known to greatly affect the manifestation and severity the disease. By contrast RP and the juvenile macular dystrophies are known to be directly caused by defects in over 100 different genes in the absence of environmental influence.
In Australia, there are approximately 295,000 blind/visually impaired individuals mainly as a result of age related conditions. The number of people is expected to double over the next 20 years with the aging population.
The Foundation has an ongoing project, the WA Inherited Retinal Disease Register (IRDR) and DNA Bank, which was commenced in 1984 at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. Over the past 25 years over $500,000 has been raised for this project. A commitment was made in 2008 by the Foundation for additional funding of $390,000 over the next 3 years.
With it being generally accepted that gene therapy activities are no longer regarded as solely research related activities, they are now close to being part of the clinical diagnosis and treatment process. The continued development of the IRDR register and DNA Bank is a vital need for West Australians in order to be prepared for any major medical breakthroughs.
History of this Charity
To read the full history of this charity, click here.
|
