The Ocular Melanoma Foundation (“OMF”) was established in 2003 by Dr. Robert C. Allen, a Harvard- and Hopkins-trained ophthalmologist and pharmacologist.

Dr. Allen was also an OM patient, and in confronting this relatively rare disease as both doctor and patient, he was struck by the dearth of up-to-date treatment information available to patients, their families, and healthcare professionals as well as the paucity of research initiatives devoted to ocular melanoma as a distinct form of melanoma.

The aim of the Ocular Melanoma Foundation is two-fold: to be the top ocular melanoma resource and advocate for patients and to be a major catalyst for leading medical research.

OMF is committed to increasing awareness, enhancing education and research, and providing advocacy amongst both patients and healthcare professionals.

Now a 501(c)(3) charity organization based out of Richmond, Virginia, OMF is committed to accelerating and enhancing scientific research, advocacy, and awareness of ocular melanoma and to providing education and support to patients, their families, and healthcare professionals. Specifically, OMF is raising funds, engaging academicians and clinicians, and actively partnering with foundations and other leading agencies supporting cancer research to:

1. Support and accelerate scientific research and discovery and its translation into effective treatment options for patients.

2. Provide resources for education and support to OM patients, their families, and to healthcare professionals treating OM.

3. Act as an advocate within the melanoma and broader cancer community to raise the awareness of OM and the need for a cure.