About Boston Foundation for Sight

Boston Foundation for Sight (BFS) is an internationally renowned nonprofit eye healthcare organization founded in 1992 by Dr. Perry Rosenthal and dedicated to restoring vision and improving quality of life for our patients and their families. We strive to transform complex corneal disease education, research, treatment and patient-centered care within the global medical community and the public at large. 

Our 13,000 square foot Center of Excellence in Needham, MA employs a staff of 45 and includes a world-class Medical Institute staffed with cornea specialists, ophthalmologists, specialty-trained optometrists and clinical technicians; a state-of-the-art PROSE Manufacturing Lab; a Clinical Research Center and our new Patient and Community Support Center. We enjoy educational partnerships with the renowned Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the New England College of Optometry; each year Cornea Fellows and Optometry Residents come to BFS to be educated in the latest in treatment of corneal disease, and they join our medical staff in cutting-edge clinical research on the next generation of tools in the fight against these insidious diseases of the ocular surface system.

Our Treatment

Prosthetic replacement of the ocular surface ecosystem (PROSE)  is a pioneering treatment developed by Boston Foundation for Sight and also available at twelve specialty eye care institutes located in top-ranked teaching hospitals and clinics in the US and abroad. PROSE uses FDA-approved custom designed and fabricated prosthetic devices to restore vision, support healing, reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for thousands of patients suffering with complex corneal disease. Our treatment is covered by insurance for over 70% of our insured patients and financial, lodging and travel assistance are available for those with limited means. 

For many of the thousands of patients with conditions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome, chronic ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), dry eye syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome, keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, ocular trauma, complications of LASIK, or complications of cornea transplantation, PROSE can be the ideal, and sometimes only, treatment capable of restoring vision and dramatically reducing symptoms such as eye pain, dry eye, blurry vision and light sensitivity.

PROSE interdisciplinary treatment teams include a cornea specialist ophthalmologist, an optometrist who has completed an intensive 9-week PROSE Clinical Fellowship at BFS, medical assistants, trainers, and prosthetic device manufacturing engineers and technicians. PROSE treatment teams work with each patient, his/her support system and other medical providers to form a collaborative care network where all members work to understand each patient’s specific needs and reach treatment goals together.

Compassionate care is at the heart of our approach to patients. We strive to make the entire treatment experience as supportive and healing as possible for our patients and their families. Complimentary breakfast and lunch are available every day in our lounge; our community kitchen is always stocked with beverages and snacks.

Throughout the day between trial wearing sessions patients can be found relaxing in our low-light quiet room, catching up with work or family via our wireless internet, or watching a DVD in our media room. The BFS apartment, a short walk from our facility, is available to out of town patients for a nominal fee. We also coordinate a private car service, and onsite parking is free.

PROSE Providers

As of December 2011, PROSE treatment is available at twelve top-ranked specialty eye care institutes located in academic medical centers in the U.S. and clinics abroad. Two clinics are located in Texas: one at the Baylor College of Medicine’s Alkek Eye Center in Houston; the other, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, serves active duty military personnel, including Wounded Warriors. There is a PROSE clinic at the University of Southern California’s Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles. International clinics are located in India in Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai; and in Nagoya, Japan; the newest international PROSE clinic at Noor Eye Hospital in Tehran, Iran, opened in the summer of 2011.

The University of Michigan’s Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor, MI, Weill Cornell Medical College’s Weill Cornell Eye Associates in New York, NY, and Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary, Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, began seeing PROSE patients in July, August and October 2010, respectively. The newest US provider, North Shore - LIJ Health System, in Great Neck, NY, began seeing patients in the fall of 2011.

Each PROSE provider is independently operated by the provider, who manage scheduling and insurance and provide ongoing care.
 

"BFS has the most amazing medical staff I have ever come in contact with and I've had several to compare them to. I've been personally touched by so many of the staff there. I appreciate their hard work, dedication to their mission, kindness, and professionalism. I am truly blessed having come in contact with them!"     ~BFS Patient