NEW YORK—Research funding organization Fight for Sight (FFS) and Prevent Blindness America (PBA) have announced their co-sponsorship of the “Fight for Sight-Prevent Blindness America Public Health Award.” The research fellowship will provide a one-time grant of $20,000 for a year of full-time research on improving public eye health and safety.

According to the organizations, the new grant will be given annually to the best proposed research in the fields of: the burden/economic aspects of eye disease and vision loss on society; best practices in integrating vision screening and follow-up care with system care access; and vision program effectiveness and evaluation.

"Fight for Sight is delighted to partner with Prevent Blindness America by co-sponsoring a Public Health Fellowship to support future leaders in the field of ocular public health", said Norman J. Kleiman, PhD, president of the board of FFS. "This partnership with Prevent Blindness America will broaden our funded research portfolio by addressing much needed public health eye issues.”

The partnership, Dr. Kleiman said, is the latest in a series of partnerships that FFS has pursued with various eye and vision research foundations. These organizations include The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration, Streilein Foundation for Ocular Immunology, North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS), Aniridia Foundation International, Lions Eye Institute and Women's Eye Health.org.

Hugh R. Parry, PBA president and CEO, said, “It is our hope that by establishing programs like the Fight for Sight-Prevent Blindness America Public Health Award today, we can find new and creative ways to put an end to unnecessary vision loss in the near future.”

Applications for the Public Health Award are now being accepted online. For further information, visit www.fightforsight.org, facebook.com/fightforsight, e-mail info@fightforsight.org or call (212) 679-6060.