Student Vision Canada is a charitable foundation established by two PhD students researching ocular pathology. Student Vision Canada’s primary mandate is to continually introduce and expose students, particularly those in undergraduate studies, to basic research.

It is the founders’ beliefs that exposure to basic research and the integral role that it plays in healthcare, in addition to the excitement and creativity fostered by such activities, will increase interest and continue to draw bright young Canadians to the field of scientific research. This desire, particularly how it relates to vision and ocular research, propagated the creation of a scholarship program that enables undergraduate students to spend their summers in the lab learning about general research techniques as well as those specific to ophthalmology and ocular pathology research. Scholarship winners learn about the scientific method, primarily how to formulate a hypothesis and follow a logical course to its conclusion - skills that are transferable across every discipline.  Students are exposed to the trials and tribulations of graduate and scientific exploration such as the process of dealing with biological tissue and samples. It is only through our fundraising efforts and the generous donations of the public that we are capable of offering this unique experience.
 
The second mandate of Student Vision is to raise funds in order to support large-scale projects relating to vision research. Project ideas include developing new treatments for Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD), increasing our understanding of how uveal melanoma cells metastasize, and restoring lost vision using retinal stem cells. All projects are audited by a well-recognized group of experts from McGill University, the National Cancer Institute, and Harvard University whose responsibility it is to ensure that every dollar spent by Student Vision Canada on these ventures is a dollar that moves us closer to understanding and treating ocular pathologies. 
 
With your help, we can continue to pursue our mandate and introduce young minds to the importance and benefits awarded by basic research.
 
Please check the Events page often as we are always planning more exciting fundraising events! Past events have included dodgeball tournaments, eating in the dark (O’Noir restaurant), and Comedy Nights!