<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Foundation Fighting Blindness and CheckedUp® Partner to Educate Retinal-Disease Patients About</TITLE>
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<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Foundation Fighting Blindness and CheckedUp® Partner to
Educate Retinal-Disease Patients About</DIV></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV class=original-url><BR><A
href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/foundation-fighting-blindness-and-checkedup-partner-to-educate-retinal-disease-patients-about-research-resources-and-emerging-therapies-during-doctor-visits-300662565.html">https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/foundation-fighting-blindness-and-checkedup-partner-to-educate-retinal-disease-patients-about-research-resources-and-emerging-therapies-during-doctor-visits-300662565.html</A><BR><BR></DIV>
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Fighting Blindness and CheckedUp® Partner to Educate Retinal-Disease Patients
About Research, Resources, and Emerging Therapies During Doctor Visits</H1>
<H2 class=subhead
style="FONT-SIZE: 1.46em; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: ; MARGIN-TOP: -0.35em; DISPLAY: block; LINE-HEIGHT: 1.27em; -webkit-hyphens: manual">CheckedUp
multimedia system will provide targeted disease and research information to
retinal-disease patients in waiting and exam rooms at 1,000 ophthalmology
practices in US.</H2>
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Fighting Blindness</STRONG> <I
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<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody"><SPAN style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%"
itemprop="contentLocation" itemtype="http://schema.org/Place" itemscope=""><SPAN
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="geo" itemtype="http://schema.org/address"
itemscope=""><SPAN style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="addressLocality">COLUMBIA,
Md.</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>, <SPAN style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%">June 11, 2018</SPAN>
/PRNewswire/ -- The Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) and CheckedUp have
formed a collaborative partnership to deliver patient-friendly diagnostic and
disease-management information to people with retinal diseases such as
age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and Stargardt disease
during their visits to eye doctors. </P><!-- logic starts --><!--end here --><!--startclickprintexclude--><!--endclickprintexclude-->
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody">FFB, the world's largest
private funder of research for inherited retinal diseases, will provide visual
and audio content on retinal conditions, helpful resources, and emerging
therapies for patients and caregivers through CheckedUp's innovative patient
engagement technologies in waiting areas and exam rooms at doctors' offices.
</P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody">"Our goal is to ensure that
patients and their caregivers understand the retinal conditions, learn about the
research underway to overcome their diseases, and know about the valuable
resources they can take advantage of now to improve care and drive vision-saving
and -restoring research," said <SPAN style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%"
itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope=""><SPAN style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%"
itemprop="name">Ben Yerxa</SPAN></SPAN>, FFB's chief executive officer.</P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody">Through the CheckedUp
engagement system, patients will learn about <A
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; COLOR: rgb(65,110,210)"
href="http://www.myretinatracker.org/" rel=nofollow target=_blank
data-include="300662565">www.MyRetinaTracker.org</A>, FFB's free, secure patient
registry, which researchers and therapy developers from around the world are
using to better understand inherited retinal diseases, and design and launch
clinical trials for emerging therapies. Registrants in the system can learn
about clinical trials for which they may be eligible.</P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody">"The Foundation Fighting
Blindness is an invaluable resource for people and families with retinal
diseases. The Foundation's partnership with CheckedUp will enable doctors to
quickly and easily inform patients about those resources," said <SPAN
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope=""><SPAN
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="name">Eugene de Juan</SPAN></SPAN>, MD, Jean
Kelly Stock Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology, at <SPAN
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%">University of California</SPAN>, and CheckedUp board
member. "Most important, it will provide those affected with a clear path
forward in managing their condition and taking part in the drive for treatments
and cures." </P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody">Also, people registered in <A
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; COLOR: rgb(65,110,210)"
href="http://www.myretinatracker.org/" rel=nofollow target=_blank
data-include="300662565">www.MyRetinaTracker.org</A> are eligible for FFB's free
genetic testing study to attempt to identify the gene mutation causing their
disease. Finding the patient's gene provides a definitive diagnosis and
better understanding which studies and emerging therapies may be best for them.
Genetic researchers, many of whom were funded by FFB, have identified more than
260 genes, each of which, when mutated, can cause a retinal disease. FFB
currently funds approximately 80 prominent retinal research institutions and
companies around the world for development of gene, stem-cell, and
pharmaceutical therapies.</P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody"><B style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%">The
Foundation Fighting Blindness</B> was established in 1971. It has since raised
more than <SPAN style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%">$725 million</SPAN> for research aimed
at preventing, treating and curing blindness caused by retinal degenerative
diseases. More than 10 million Americans, and millions more worldwide, have
vision loss due to retinal degeneration. Through its support of focused and
innovative science, the Foundation drives the research that has and will
continue to provide treatments and cures for people affected by retinitis
pigmentosa, macular degeneration, Usher syndrome and other inherited retinal
diseases. FFB-CRI was established in 2004 to advance translational research and
clinical development of emerging therapies for inherited retinal diseases.</P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody"><B
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%">CheckedUp</B> is a point of care company that actively
engages patients before, during and after visiting the medical practice. Our
vision and trajectory is to be the premier specialty point of care company
providing condition specific, active patient engagement through a variety of
different touch points to help patients as they make critical decisions about
their treatment. We help practices and doctors engage with their patient to help
improve health outcomes and elevate the patient experience.</P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody">Contact: <SPAN
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope=""><SPAN
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="name">Ben Shaberman</SPAN></SPAN> <BR
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%"><A
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; COLOR: rgb(65,110,210)"
href="mailto:bshaberman@fightblindness.org" rel=nofollow target=_blank
data-include="300662565">bshaberman@fightblindness.org</A> <BR
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%"><A
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; COLOR: rgb(65,110,210)"
href="http://www.fightblindness.org/" rel=nofollow target=_blank
data-include="300662565">www.FightBlindness.org</A> <BR
style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%">Office: <A
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; COLOR: rgb(65,110,210)"
href="tel:(410) 423-0634">(410) 423-0634</A> <BR style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%">Mobile:
<A style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; COLOR: rgb(65,110,210)"
href="tel:(410) 499-9158">(410) 499-9158</A></P>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%" itemprop="articleBody">SOURCE Foundation Fighting
Blindness</P>
<H4
style="FONT-SIZE: 1em; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; FONT-WEIGHT: bold; MARGIN: 1em 0px">Related
Links</H4>
<P style="MAX-WIDTH: 100%"><A title="Link to http://www.MyRetinaTracker.org"
style="TEXT-DECORATION: underline; MAX-WIDTH: 100%; COLOR: rgb(65,110,210)"
href="http://www.MyRetinaTracker.org" rel=nofollow target=_blank
data-include="300662565">http://www.MyRetinaTracker.org</A>
</P></DIV></DIV></DIV><!-- section-divider --></SECTION>
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