Show your support for the VAF in style with this all-new sweatshirt design featuring the VAF logo and adorable paw prints on the sleeve. Limited Edition! All sizes are unisex.
Cost is $50 per sweatshirt and all purchases include a $15 donation to the VAF.
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 VAF’s Soiree in Savannah will celebrate the legendary hospitality of this historic Southern city. The event, on Friday, October 25 from 6 pm -8 pm, at Myrtle & Rose Rooftop Bar, will feature delicious food, drinks, a silent auction, raffles and more.
This year, the VAF will also recognize the establishment of the Cynthia S. Cook Endowment Fund via a generous bequest from the Cook-Pruitt Trust, in memory of ACVO diplomate Dr. Cindy Cook.
To purchase tickets click here.
If you would like to donate an auction item, please complete this online form.
The VAF’s Soiree in Savannah will celebrate the legendary hospitality of this historic Southern city. The event, on Friday, October 25 from 6 pm -8 pm, will feature delicious food, drinks, a silent auction, raffles and more. This year, the VAF will also recognize the establishment of the Cynthia S. Cook Endowment Fund via a generous bequest from the Cook-Pruitt Trust, in memory of ACVO diplomate Dr. Cindy Cook.
We are looking for auction items! Handcrafted items, art, vacations/stays at vacation homes, textbooks and ophthalmology related items are always popular– but we are open to your suggestions. Be creative!
To make a contribution, please complete this online form.
The silent auction will take place during the ACVO Conference but will use a virtual platform, allowing for online bidding by anyone who is interested in participating, not just attendees at our October 25 fundraiser. Items do not need to be sent to the VAF in advance. Instead, we will connect donors with the winning bidders once the auction has closed so items can be shipped directly.
Please don’t hesitate to be in touch with any questions. We can be reached at vaf@hannahstreet.com.
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
The VAF is pleased to announce the following grants as part of the Fellowship program:
$75,000, Dr. Bret Moore, University of Florida, for his proposal, The outcomes, risk factors, and risk mitigators of phacoemulsification in veterinary ophthalmology: a 22-institutional multivariate analysis to guide current therapy and future prospective studies.
$15,000 Dr. Uchenna Nlebedum, University of California-Davis for his proposal, Advanced training in identification and genotyping of a novel PRA in racing Greyhounds.
