The VAF’s 2025 fundraiser, “Sequins and Spurs Soiree” will take place at Austin Ranch in Grapevine, TX from 6 pm – 9 pm on Friday, October 17.   Pack your jeans, boots and some sparkle and join us for a night of Texan fare, beer tasting, an (optional) line dancing lesson, auctions and more!  Tickets are $175 and include busing to/from the Gaylord Resort.  More details- and ticket sales- coming soon!

Sponsorship opportunities are now available!  Click here to review levels and benefits.  And click here to purchase your sponsorship.

Join the VAF and speaker Dr. Andrew Hanzlicek for a webinar on Tuesday, April 29 at 7 pm ET.  To register click here

Multisystemic Infectious Diseases that Affect the Eyes in Cats and Dogs:  An Internist’s Perspective will cover common multisystemic infectious diseases that affect the eyes of cats and dogs.  Focus will be on clinical findings (non-ocular), diagnosis (especially biomarker), and treatment.

Andrew Hanzlicek, DVM, MS, DACVIM, serves as the Director of Clinicians and Veterinary Medicine at MiraVista Diagnostics.  Before joining MiraVista, Dr. Hanzlicek served as the Joan Kirkpatrick Chair in Small Animal Internal Medicine at Oklahoma State University. Dr. Hanzlicek’s research interests are in the areas of infectious disease, hematology, and whole blood coagulation. He earned a BS in Agriculture Sciences, MS in Biomedical Sciences, and DVM degree from Kansas State University. He completed post-graduate clinical training at Texas A&M University and Kansas State University.

This program has been approved by RACE for 1 CE credit.  The webinar will be recorded and available to registered attendees for two weeks after the live date.

The ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation (VAF) is pleased to announce the 2024 Resident Grant Award recipients.  Award winners will receive a combined total of $37,500.  Grantees are:

Albert D’Agostino, DVM, University of Missouri, $7,500
The Effects of Age on the Canine Tear Proteome

Sonja Ing, DVM, Iowa State University, $7,500
Novel Treatment of Bovine Infectious Keratitis in Bovine Corneas using Ultraviolet-C (UVC) Light

Kazu Oikawa, DVM, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison, $7,500
Evaluating a Novel Topical EP2 Receptor Agonist as a Treatment for Feline Glaucoma

Allison H. Shannon, DVM, University of California-Davis, $7,500
Effects of phacoemulsification and diabetes mellitus on corneal endothelial health in dogs

Emily K. Tucker-Retter, DVM, PhD, North Carolina State University, $7,500
Pilot Study: Prognostic value of VEP and RNFL thickness in dogs with acute optic neuritis

Thank you to the Grants Committee (see list of members below) and to all of the ABVO residents who submitted proposals this year.

ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation Grants Committee Members:  Drs. Becky Telle and Gina Newbold, Chairs; Drs. Chris Alling, Braidee Foote,  Maggie Jinks, Kelly Knickelbein, Andrew Lewin,  Elizabeth Lutz, Sami Pederson, Lionel Sebbag,  Colleen Sheridan, Alex Sigmund, Kyle Tofflemire

The ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation (VAF) is grateful for the generous support of so many individuals, businesses and organizations this year.

Click Here to Review the List of Donors

Please accept our apologies for any inadvertent errors or omissions. Should a correction be necessary, please contact us at vaf@hannahstreet.com.

The ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation (VAF) is excited to introduce our new group
🍎Apple of My Eye🍎 – designed to encourage camaraderie and family fun at the upcoming ACVO conference.

Join us for a fun-filled Scavenger Hunt through Savannah!  Explore exciting spots, snap some silly photos, and enjoy sweet treats along the way.

From riding the ferry to finding pirates and posing with statues, there is plenty of excitement for kids and grown-ups alike.  All you need to participate are your sneakers and your smiles!

We will also gather at 10 am on Saturday, October 26 at the outdoor space in front of Tondees (Convention Center) to celebrate the launch of Apple of My Eye.

Snacks and special surprises will be provided.

Visit us at the VAF table (near Booth #40) to up your scavenger hunt “map” and learn more!

 

 

The ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation (VAF) is pleased to announce the 2023 Resident Grant Award recipients.  Award winners will receive a combined total of $38,247.

Ashley Bowyer, DVM, Kansas State University, $4,764
Pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of voriconazole administered orally q72 hours in healthy cats

Tiffany Chen, DVM, University of Pennsylvania, $3,500
Comparison of needle electrodes versus gold cup skin electrodes for scotopic clinical electroretinography in the dog

Paul McCarthy, Eye Clinic for Animals, Australia, $7,483
Evaluation of hearing in dogs with Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome (SARDS)

Erinn P. Mills, University of California – Davis, $7,500
Determining the Effect of A Novel Topical Lipid Therapy on Tear Film Inflammatory Cytokine Profiles in Dogs with Evaporative Dry Eye Disease (EDED)

Callie Rogers, DVM, Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, $7,500
The effects of photodynamic therapy with indocyanine green (EmunoDo®) and 810nm diode laser on the healthy equine

Aaron Sieve, DVM, University of Missouri, $7,500
A microbiota investigation of ophthalmic trypan blue commonly used in canine cataract surgery –

Thank you to the Grants Committee (see list of members below) and to all of the ABVO residents who submitted proposals this year.

ACVO Vision for Animals Grants Committee:  Drs. Andrew Lewin and Becky Telle, Co- Chairs; Drs. Chris Alling, Heather Chandler, Braidee Foote, Kelly Knickelbein, Keiko Miyadera, Georgina Newbold, Sami Pederson, Lionel Sebbag,  Colleen Sheridan, Alex Sigmund, Kyle Tofflemire

Registration is now open for the VAF’s next webinar.  The cost to attend is $20.  This program has been submitted to RACE for approval for 1 CE hour.

The session will be recorded and available to registered attendees for 2 weeks after the live date.  To learn more, click here

The partnership and generosity of supporters like you makes the VAF’s mission to advance animal eye health through science and education possible. Please consider making a year-end contribution to the VAF. Your gift will ensure that the foundation can continue to fund grant making programs and launch new initiatives to support education within our profession.

You can make a secure contribution online here.

**The VAF’s Resident Phaco Course is SOLD OUT. **

If you would like to be added to a waitlist please email us at

The ACVO Vision for Animals Foundation, in partnership with Alcon, is offering a Phacoemulsification Course for 2nd and 3rd Year ABVO Residents.  The course will take place on Friday, March 1, 2024 at the Alcon Experience Center in Fort Worth, Texas.  Enrollment is limited to 24 participants.

Participants will receive 6 CE hours (3 lecture, 3 wet lab).  This course will be submitted to RACE for approval.

More details and registration are available here.

In 2021, the VAF awarded the Founders Clinical Research grant, in the amount of $9,098, to Dr. Ken Abrams and team for their submission, titled ‘*Olfaction Evaluation in Dogs with Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome (SARDS); (Sniffin’ out SARDS!)*’.

The results of their study have been published in Veterinary Ophthalmology and the VAF and Dr. Abrams have covered the cost of the open access fee.

Olfaction evaluation in dogs with sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome is available here