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
2024 Year In Review
Thank you to all who supported and donated to ANA in 2024. Thanks to your support, great things were achieved! The ANA Board of Directors is looking forward to another great year in 2025.
Here is a snapshot of the accomplishments from 2024 complete with links to information as appropriate.
New Member Elected to ANA Board of Directors
ANA’s Board of Directors welcomes new member Michael Schain. Michael was born with sporadic aniridia and has a passion for improving outcomes…
Focal Point Episode 4: The Aniridic Cornea – An Introduction
Guest: John Freeman, MD Dr. Freeman is Board Certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and specializes in cataract surgery and corneal…
ANA Participation in the 7th European Aniridia Conference
ANA desires to increase collaboration internationally and serve as a collective voice of North American stakeholders to the international aniridia community. In…
Russian Aniridia Conference
On September 10th, 2024, the Second Congenital Aniridia and the WAGR Spectrum conference for Russian-speaking doctors and families with aniridia took place…
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.
North American Partner Organizations
ANA aims to augment the efforts of, facilitate interaction between, and provide support for groups and organizations focused on aniridia-related problems, with an inclusive approach and meaningful engagement. This includes coordinating and synergizing the efforts of these groups with similar international organizations.
