The ANA Mission
Represent, serve, and support the North American community of persons affected by aniridia and their families, patient advocacy organizations, and clinicians and scientists
ANIRIDIA North America
REPRESENT
SERVE
SUPPORT
ANA Vision
To assist North American aniridia-related patient advocacy organizations, coordinate with international organizations, strengthen and expand research, promote dissemination of information, and support clinical providers to improve outcomes for individuals with aniridia.
ANA Values
Fair representation for all aniridia-related stakeholders in North America, with meaningful, transparent, inclusive engagement.
Latest ANA News
ANA Participation in the 6th European Aniridia Conference
Part of ANA’s vision is to coordinate and synergize its activities and efforts with Aniridia Europe and other international organizations to provide more effective support and affiliations for the global aniridia community. In pursuit of that vision, representatives from ANA were honored to be invited and to participate in the 6th European Aniridia Conference, which was hosted by the Asociación Española de Aniridia in San Juan de Alicante, Spain in June of 2022.
2021 ANA Symposium: PAX6, Aniridia, and Beyond
This Symposium was a forum for scientists and medical professionals to discuss their work with each other. The purpose of this overview is to share patient-relevant information from these discussions.
ANA Frequently Asked Questions
What is ANA? Why was ANA created? Who is ANA for? What does ANA do? All of these questions and more are answered here in our ANA Frequently Asked Questions.
What is Aniridia?
Aniridia is a rare genetic condition generally characterized by either the complete or partial absence of the iris, which is the colored part of the eye.
The word “aniridia” means “without iris”. The lack of iris is often the first and most noticeable feature of aniridia.
Aniridia can lead to complications with the eye including but not limited to:
- glaucoma
- cataracts
- corneal keratopathy
- strabismus
- nystagmus
- foveal hypoplasia
Aniridia and related complications present differently in each individual.
Recent research indicates that non-ocular conditions can also occur with aniridia. Some of these conditions include:
- central auditory processing disorder
- sleep disturbances
- brain abnormalities
- issues with the pancreas
Research is ongoing to better identify and understand these and other associated conditions.
Join ANA
Membership in ANA is free and open to anyone interested in aniridia. Whether you are a patient, family member, educator, clinician, scientist, or a patient advocacy organization, you are welcome here.
Sign up to receive updates and information from ANA. We know that alone we are rare, but together, we are strong.
