The Ride for Sight -- Motorcyclists Fighting Blindness

The Ride for Sight -- Motorcyclists Fighting Blindness

The annual Ride for Sight, Canada’s longest-running motorcycle charity fundraiser, raises money to support the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

I have always worn glasses and over the years, they have become stronger as my vision gets weaker. And I’ve always feared that my eyesight would someday limit my ability to ride a motorcycle. My mother had age-related macular degeneration, a condition that causes blindness due to changes in the shape of the retina.

The first Ride for Sight was held in central Ontario in 1979. I started riding with the Alberta Ride for Sight in 2003.

 Over the past 10 years, with the help of generous friends and colleagues, I’ve helped raise almost $20,000 for the Alberta ride. All of that money goes to the Foundation. Riders and generous corporate sponsors cover all the fundraising costs.

 For 40 years, the Foundation Fighting Blindness has invested in Canadian research. It has helped scientists uncover the genes associated with retinal disease and understand the cause of vision loss. Increasingly the foundation's funding supports research to develop treatments that can preserve and even restore vision.

The foundation is dedicated to helping Canadian families affected by retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. These diseases strike the nation’s two most vulnerable populations, children and seniors. It is estimated that vision loss affects over one million Canadians.

Over the past 40 years, Foundation donations have supported an impressive 202 research grants, amounting to a $25 million investment in ground-breaking science at Canadian hospitals and universities.

Scientists funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness have been part of many Canadian firsts. For example, Dr. Rod McInnes and Dr. Robert Molday were the first Canadian scientists to discover genes that cause inherited retinal disease, both with Foundation funding.

Maybe someday, these talented scientists may also discover the cause of that particular brand of blindness that renders motorcycles -- and motorcyclists -- virtually invisible to a disturbing number of car drivers. But that's a rant for another day!

Today, Foundation funding scientists are continuing to make new discoveries about the causes and effects of vision disease, while leading the way towards the discovery and testing of treatments for retinal diseases. Please help support that work!
 
Please visit my Ride for Sight secure onlinefundraising page and pony up a few bucks for this important fundraising ride to support research into the causes and prevention of blindness. Thanks