Raising Funds to Fight Blindness Globally

Over 285 million people in the world are visually impaired. Our goal with the Alcatraz Swim for Sight is to identify a beneficiary that is at the center of today's scientific and technological revolution. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of the eye and applying advanced technology leads to solutions for patients around the globe for both treatments and cures for blindness.  This year’s beneficiary will be All May See (AMS), which supports the foundation for vision science at University of California San Francisco. AMS is a 501(c)(3) public charity, supporting patient care, vision research, and education, providing hope that, one day, all may see.

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The Alcatraz Swim for Sight began in 2011 as a bucket list item for Lorie Hirson. She is slowly losing her vision due to an inherited retinal disease, retinitis pigmentosa. For the last 4 years, Ari and Noah Hirson have been running the swim. They continue the goal to move the research forward faster and deliver new treatments to support those who face challenges with blindness daily.

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To learn more about Lorie and her story, see the video below.