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__________________________________________ History of the Ohio LIONS Eye Research FoundationHistory of the Ohio LIONS Eye Research Foundation (OLERF)
Dr. John Wolf, Dr. Dan Martin, William Althouse, Dr. Morris Battles, Dis. Gov. Frank Lausche, Deputy Gov. James Miller, Everett Steece (sitting). Ca 1950s
Marvin Resnik (?), Unknown, Everett Steece, Torrence Makley, Morris Battles, Glen Fry, 3-Unknown.
Did You Know Did you know that the Ohio LIONS Eye Research Foundation (OLERF) celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2002? The seeds for the foundation were planted by the Ohio LIONS Blind Welfare committee at the state convention in Akron in 1951. The "Ohio LIONS Eye Research committee" held its first meeting at the state convention in Cincinnati in 1952 where members were asked to support "research in the field of blinding diseases". The first donations were made by the Athens LIONS club ($100.00), Hollansburg LIONS club (amount unknown) and Middletown LIONS Club ($300.00). The research foundation was incorporated in 1957 and became a 501 3(c) nonprofit organization in 1958. Did you know that one of the first research projects funded by the OLERF was to study the effects of oxygen on the development of Retrolental Fibroplasia (RLF) in premature infants? In the 1950s through the use of improved technology and supplemental oxygen, younger and younger premature infants were surviving; unfortunately, many of these infants were becoming blind. The first use of OLERF funds was to "purchase an apparatus for accurate instantaneous measurement of oxygen in the bassinets of premature children who are prone to develop retrolental fibroplasia." It was discovered that there was a relation between excessive oxygen use and the development of RLF in premature infants. By decreasing the amount of oxygen, the number of blind premature infants fell dramatically. Nowadays RLF is referred to as Retinopathy of Prematurely (ROP). Did you know that in the early 1960s OLERF supported studies in the College of Optometry at Ohio State University? The studies were aimed at building a smaller "electronic tonometer" and to evaluate it for mass screening and detection of glaucoma. Today, tonometry is the standard for detecting elevated intraocular pressure in patients in basically eye doctor’s office in the country. Did you know that in the early 1960s OLERF funded research at Case Western Reserve University into a new process called "ultrasound"? At the time it was started that this new technique could be used for detecting eye pathology in patients with cataracts and opaque corneas. Today, ultrasound is in standard practice and used worldwide in the assessment of patients with, you guessed it, cataracts and opaque corneas. Ultrasound lets us "see" beyond the cloudy lens as in the case of patients with cataracts as well as in patients with corneal opacities (e.g., metabolic disorders, corneal dystrophies, burns) and in patients with intraocular hemorrhages which prevent us from seeing directly into the eye with visible light. Did you know that each year investigators from the seven research institutions in Ohio funded by the OLERF get together to discuss their progress in basic and applied research? Some of the topics included: the discovery of genes that cause optic nerve degenerations and corneal dystrophies; the influence of light on the progression of retinal degeneration; use of a drug to treat children with amblyopia (lazy eye); how to prevent river blindness; and, new treatments into diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. While some of these projects will run into a dead end, some of the research will lead to new treatments and cures in the future, much like the OLERF funded research of 40 years ago. |
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