The American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF) is proud to announce that Johanna Seddon, MD, ScM, FARVO, of the Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center has been named the 2017 recipient of the Mildred Weisenfeld Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology. The award is presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the largest eye and vision research organization in the world, in recognition of an individual's distinguished, scholarly contributions to the clinical practice of ophthalmology.

Dr. Seddon is being honored for her groundbreaking work on the intersection and interaction of nutritional, environmental and genetic risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Her studies of lifestyle factors have influenced clinical practice world-wide. Her discoveries of common and rare AMD genetic variants have provided targets for therapies. Her predictive modeling insights have laid the groundwork for personalized medicine.

"AMDF has provided broad support for Dr. Seddon's research for a number of years," said Chip Goehring, President, AMDF. "We've made such a strong investment in her studies because she produces findings that we, as individuals with macular degeneration, can apply to our lifestyle choices. And we are delighted that she co-authored our AMDF Cookbook – Eat Right for Your Sight. This award confirms what we already believed: she is doing life changing work."

Dr. Seddon's findings include:

• 15 different genetic variants, including some rare and highly penetrant genetic variants, which are strongly associated with AMD in families;
• smoking increases risk of AMD, lutein and zeaxanthin (carotenoids) and dark green leafy vegetables in the diet reduce risk of AMD, omega-3 fatty acids, fish and nuts reduce risk, trans fats and abdominal obesity increase risk, and exercise reduces risk of macular degeneration;
• the development of comprehensive AMD risk prediction models and an on-line risk calculator.

Her current work is focused on identifying genetic associations and interactions with non-genetic risk factors and sub-phenotypes of the disease.

The mission of the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF) is to empower and inspire those affected by macular degeneration while advancing research and technology.