Prevent Blindness Texas Names Dr. Gerald D. Cagle the 2008 People of Vision Award Winner

FORT WORTH, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prevent Blindness Texas – Fort Worth Branch, an affiliate of Prevent Blindness America, the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight, has chosen Gerald D. Cagle, Ph.D. as the recipient of the 2008 People of Vision Award. Dr. Cagle, senior vice president of Research and Development and chief scientific officer of Alcon Laboratories, Inc., a subsidiary of Alcon, Inc., the world’s largest eye care company, will accept his award at the Prevent Blindness People of Vision Dinner at Ridglea Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas on April 3, 2008. Dr. Cagle will receive an additional honor from the Tarrant County Commissioners Court who will be presenting him with a resolution on Tuesday, April 1^st, paying tribute to his career and contributions in the field of Ophthalmology.

Since 1978, the People of Vision Award has been presented annually to an individual or individuals who possess qualities of dedication, leadership and community vision. Dr. Cagle was selected based on his more than 32 years of commitment to advancing technologies and therapies in the field of Ophthalmology. Additionally, Jerry is actively involved with local organizations in the Fort Worth area including the All Church Home, TECH Fort Worth and the Health Industry Council of Dallas Fort Worth.

In 1976, Dr. Cagle joined Alcon as a senior scientist in Microbiology. After years of increasing responsibility, Dr. Cagle was appointed head of Alcon’s global ophthalmic Research & Development (R&D) organization, a position he has held for the past eleven years. Under Dr. Cagle’s direction, Alcon developed industry-leading therapies and devices including Pataday^® for ocular allergies, Vigamox^® for bacterial conjunctivitis, Travatan Z^® to treat the increased intraocular pressure associated with glaucoma, the AcrySof^® line of intraocular lenses, the Infiniti^® platform for cataract surgery, the Accurus^® surgical system for vitreoretinal surgery and the OPTI-Free^® line of multi-purpose disinfecting solutions.

“We are pleased to honor Dr. Cagle and to celebrate Alcon’s many scientific advancements made under his leadership,” said Kathi Fowler, executive director of Prevent Blindness Texas – Fort Worth Branch. “His passion for discovering therapies and technologies that preserve, restore and enhance sight aligns with the mission of Prevent Blindness organizations at the national and local levels.”

A native Texan, Dr. Cagle received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1966 from Wayland College in Plainview, Texas. He earned both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. from the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas and attended the Harvard Business School Program for Management Development. Dr. Cagle is the author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles, has made contributions to various texts and holds several product-related patents, including TobraDex^®, Vigamox^® and Patanase^®. Dr. Cagle is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society for Microbiology. He serves on the Wilmer Eye Institute Advisory Council, acts as a delegate to the Association of International Glaucoma Society, is a Board Member of the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research, is a member of TECH Ft. Worth and the State of Texas Governor’s Committee for Emerging Technology and serves as secretary of both the Alcon Research Institute and the Alcon Scientific Advisory Board.

“I have great respect for the Prevent Blindness organization and value its vision care programs and initiatives,” said Dr. Cagle. “It is a privilege to receive the People of Vision award and it recognizes in many ways the collective efforts of the 1,130 or so of my R&D colleagues, both here and at other Alcon research facilities. I really appreciate the support they’ve given to me over the past 30 years.”

About Prevent Blindness Texas

Prevent Blindness Texas is an affiliate of Prevent Blindness America and was established as a non-profit, voluntary health agency in 1956 and incorporated in 1965. For fifty years, Prevent Blindness Texas has been directly responsible for saving the sight and enhancing the visual quality of life for thousands of men, women and children in the State of Texas.

Prevent Blindness Texas Fort Worth Branch was established in 1960 to provide free vision screenings for the community. The Fort Worth Branch continues to support the free sight saving programs of Prevent Blindness Texas.

About Prevent Blindness America

Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness America is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness America touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, divisions and chapters, it's committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, or to make a contribution to the sight-saving fund, call 1-800-331-2020.