Calvin W. Roberts, MD, President and CEO of Lighthouse Guild and Sheila Nirenberg, PhD, Founder of Bionic Sight
(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK — Lighthouse Guild, the leading not-for-profit vision and healthcare organization, and Bionic Sight, the developer of treatments and technologies for advanced stage blindness, announced today that they are entering into a partnership that will change the landscape of treatment for people who are blind.
Bionic Sight’s technology focuses on restoring sight to patients with advanced stage blindness due to retinal degenerative diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa. The technology is based on discoveries by researcher and developer Sheila Nirenberg, PhD, a professor at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and the founder of Bionic Sight, who unraveled the neural code of the retina – that is, the code the retina uses to tell the brain what you’re seeing. Dr. Nirenberg has won numerous awards for this work, including a MacArthur Genius Award, and she and Bionic Sight are using it to develop a new approach for treating blindness.
“Lighthouse Guild’s mission includes both providing exceptional services today for people who are visually impaired and creating a future of unlimited potential for our clients and patients. By investing in breakthrough technologies and therapies, Lighthouse Guild can help impact the direction of medical innovation,” said Calvin W. Roberts, MD, president and CEO of Lighthouse Guild. “Retinitis pigmentosa is a common condition among our clients and the discoveries by Bionic Sight may lead to significantly improved vision for people with this eye disorder.”
“Lighthouse Guild and Bionic Sight have a shared commitment to utilizing technology to transform the lives of people who are blind or visually impaired,” said Dr. Nirenberg. “Our goals are naturally aligned. Through this partnership, we will be able to continue exploring and implementing innovative approaches and treatments.”
“Game-changing developments in eye science are breaking down barriers for people who are blind or visually impaired,” said James M. Dubin, chairman of the Board at Lighthouse Guild. “This partnership with Bionic Sight is a mission-driven initiative that furthers our commitment to providing the most advanced services and programs.”