NEW YORK—CheckedUp, a specialty point of care company, announced an initiative with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the world’s leading private funder of inherited retinal disease research. The Foundation invests significant efforts in public health education programs, and, along with CheckedUp, will deliver actionable educational information regarding blinding retinal disease across CheckedUp’s nationwide eyecare network. The mission of the Foundation Fighting Blindness is to drive research that will provide preventions, treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and the entire spectrum of retinal degenerative diseases.

According to the foundation, AMD is the leading cause of blindness in adults over age 55 in the U.S. and other developed countries.

“Our goal is to improve the accessibility of information for patients, as informed, empowered patients are able to make better decisions about their care,” said Richard Awdeh, MD, CEO of CheckedUp. “It is critical to raise awareness of the Foundation Fighting Blindness’ mission, the dangers of retinal diseases as well as preventions and treatments available to those affected by them, and with our nationwide network in eyecare practices we will be able to leverage the Foundation’s content to fulfill this objective.”

“By working with CheckedUp, we are able to reach people with retinal diseases during the critical moments when they’re at the point of care with their eyecare professional and empower them to take action on their symptoms and treatment,” said Benjamin Yerxa, CEO of Foundation Fighting Blindness.

CheckedUp’s specialty point of care platform includes technologies such as Explorer Waiting Room TV, which builds awareness and provides education to patients as they wait for their appointment.