Artists rally to support MAB and Retina Institute

The halls and clinic rooms of the Montreal Retina Institute were crowded with professionals, business associates and friends of the Institute and the Montreal Association of the Blind, who gathered together Oct. 24 to celebrate the new facilities for the Institute at 4120 St. Catherine Street West and to raise funds for the MAB.

Organizing chair Angela Chen spent six months organizing the event that featured 29 sighted, blind and visually impaired artists who donated 50 per cent of the sales to the MAB. The unique artwork that covered the walls of the Institute included works by Westmount artists Sara Peck Colby, Jane Desjardins, Pierre Desjardins, Susan Pepler, Graeme Ross, Catherine Bates and Tristan Tondino.

While the event was focused around the art, the raison d’etre was an opportunity for the Montreal Retina Institute to launch its new facilities and to thank the MAB for its continued partnership in assisting clients of the Institute.

“The Montreal Retina Institute is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of potentially blinding diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, traumatic eye injuries, hereditary retinal dystrophies, infections, macular holes, and retinal detachments,� said medical director John Chen. “We decided that the MAB should be the beneficiary of this fundraising event because their mission complements well with the goal of our Institute that of the visual well-being of our patients. When we have a patient we cannot help we refer them to the MAB where their professionals assist them in learning to live with their new challenges.�

The MAB is a private non-profit organization that has been providing comprehensive rehabilitation programs and services to visually challenged individuals of all ages and backgrounds since 1908. The proceeds from the event went to the MAB’s Early Intervention Program whose goal is to help provide visually impaired and blind children from birth to kindergarten and their families with a stimulating home and rehabilitation environment so they will ultimately be able to integrate into regular schools and other activities in their communities.

“The Montreal Retina Institute and the MAB forged a partnership to deal with vision issues on either end of the age spectrum,� said Catherine Boyle, executive director of the MAB. “In addition to raising the much welcomed funds, this event also raised very important awareness about potentially blinding diseases to a graying population.�

The Montreal Retina Institute was formerly located on Union Street and relocated in Westmount at the end of 2005. It is a private vision clinic that hosts six ophthalmologists. In addition to the clinics the Institute is expanding and will soon include an optical centre on the main floor in addition to its full service clinics. For more information about the Montreal Retina Institute phone 514-285-8866. For more information about the MAB phone 514-489-8201. The MAB is located at 7000 Sherbrooke St. W in NDG.