Schools
Casino Mogul Offers $25 Million to University of Iowa to Help Cure Eye Illness He Also Suffers From
Casino mogul Steve Wynn is donating $25 million to the university's Institution for Vision Research.
The University of Iowa received a generous gift to its research into eye disease from an unexpected source.
The school announced today that casino mogul Steve Wynn will be donating $25 million to research for the cure for retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that causes blindness that he also suffers from.
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With $25 million gift to U. of Iowa, casino mogul Steve Wynn makes bet on a cure for blindness (Associated Press)
Wynn, 71, has retinitis pigmentosa, a disease that affects one in 4,000 people and causes night blindness and weakness in peripheral vision. A fixture at Las Vegas galas, he's often seen leaning on an aide's arm at nighttime events.
"As a person who knows firsthand what it is like to lose vision from a rare inherited eye disease, I want to do everything I can to help others who are similarly affected," he said in a statement. "I am thrilled by the pace of the scientific progress that has occurred in the past few years and I feel that the prospect of finding a cure is possible and probable in the short term and certain in the long term."
The donation will go to the school's Institution for Vision Research. It is more than double its annual $12 million budget, according to reports. The donation will allow for the expansion of the staff and recruitment of specialists in the field.
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