Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Is Major Funder in the Fight Against Blindness
If ever there were a problem that might seem tailor-made for philanthropy, it's fighting blindness. Losing sight is a horrifying fate for anyone to contemplate, and it's not surprising that blindness has motivated some deep-pocketed donors for at least a century.
Over the past few decades, significant gains have been made in this area. In the United States, for example, the Foundation Fighting Blindness—co-founded by venture capitalist George Gund in 1971—has raised over $600 million to fund research advances to prevent and cure retinal degenerative diseases that affect more than 10 million Americans.
Worldwide, a range of efforts have sought to bring poor countries affordable cataract surgery. Cataracts are the main cause of blindness for half of the 40 million or so people who cannot see. Millions of people can see today because of these efforts...