Our Mission Statement & Vision

Our Vision

Serving as a world-class research and educational organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of vision. "We give people back the use of their eyes."

Our Mission

We achieve our Vision through four pillars of our mission that can best be expressed with the acronym, RISE:

R -  Research; at least 12 studies per year.

I -   Innovation; new procedures, treatments and discoveries.

S -  Service to Humanity; dispersal of our research findings through our website,  publications in peer-reviewed clinical research journals, and presentations at national ophthalmology conferences.

E -  Education; providing medical education to doctors and bi-annual Awareness Seminars for patients.

The Cornea Research Foundation of America is a globally focused not for profit clinical research and educational organization located in Indianapolis, Indiana.  It was founded by an internationally recognized ophthalmologist, Dr. Francis W. Price, Jr., in 1988 with the primary purpose of tracking corneal transplant results.  Today the Foundation houses the largest data base of its kind in the Western Hemisphere with over 4,000 transplants documented and it has participated in over 70 clinical and investigational studies and published over 90 papers and manuscripts.  It oversees approximately a dozen eye-related studies annually.

The Foundation is designated a 501-C3, a nonprofit organization, by the Internal Revenue Service.  The Federal identification number is: 31-1243592.  The Foundation is registered with the Indiana Department of Revenue and is exempt from Indiana state sales tax. 

Key Person Bio Statements

Francis W. Price, Jr., M.D.
Founder and President of the Board

Dr. Francis Price founded the Cornea Research Foundation of America (CRFA) in 1988, in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A., with a mission to establish a world center for clinical research and education in the specialty areas of corneal disease, corneal transplantation and intraocular lens surgery.

He has served as a principal investigator or medical advisor on over 70 clinical studies on ophthalmic medications and devices, as well as surgical procedures including cornea transplants, glaucoma, cataracts and refractive surgery. He also is a teacher, a frequent lecturer and inventor, holding U.S. patents for special devices used in ophthalmic surgery.  He has authored or co-authored more than 90 peer-reviewed publications. 

In 2005, Dr. Price performed the first ever laser-assisted contoured penetrating keratoplasty with the Intralase Laser. Since then, he has helped to develop new techniques and applications for therapeutic applications of the femtosecond laser.  He also has been active in helping develop endothelial keratoplasty techniques as well as teaching these techniques to corneal surgeons with intensive two day courses in Indianapolis, Indiana.

As medical director of the Price Vision Group and President of the CRFA, Dr. Price is an internationally recognized ophthalmic surgeon, and recipient of the Senior Achievement Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University Of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, and is a 1977 graduate of Indiana University Medical School, where he also completed his residency in ophthalmology. He completed a fellowship in corneal and external disease at Tulane University.

See www.pricevisiongroup.com  and www.cornea.org

Marianne O'Connor Price, Ph.D.
Director of Research and Education

Dr. Marianne Price joined the Cornea Research Foundation of America in 2002 as director of research and education. She directs the research and education programs of the Foundation, overseeing a budget of $400,000, and supervising the daily activities of four professional staff members.

Dr. Price and her spouse, Francis W. Price, Jr. M.D., jointly publish an average of seven articles annually in peer-reviewed clinical research journals and conduct a minimum of 12 research studies annually. In 2007, they will also have coauthored 5 book chapters. 

A respected scientist, Dr. Price was previously employed as a project manager and senior project engineer for Union Carbide. She is a sought after speaker and published author, a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, and Ophthalmic Women Leaders.  She also serves on the Board of Directors of Prevent Blindness Indiana and on the Research Committee of the Eye Bank Association of America.

Marianne Price, Ph.D. holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering Science from Notre Dame, and both an MBA in Finance and a doctorate in Medical and Molecular Genetics from Indiana University.  

See www.pricevisiongroup.com  and www.cornea.org