The Northern California nonprofit Society for the Blind has honored Mark J. Mannis with the Briggs Award for Excellence in Ophthalmology for his outstanding contributions to the field. Mannis is a distinguished professor and the Fosse Endowed Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science at UC Davis. The award was presented at a ceremony in Sacramento last month.

Mannis is a nationally and internationally recognized expert in the field of corneal and external eye diseases. He serves on the board of directors for the Society for the Blind. In a written statement, the Society for the Blind said, “Honoring Dr. Mannis with the Briggs Award is one way we can acknowledge all that he has contributed to this field that has helped so many people across our region.”

Roots of award go back to early Sacramento

The Briggs Award is named for the very first ophthalmologist in the Sacramento area. Dr. William Ellery Briggs and his family moved to Sacramento in the 1870s. He was California's preeminent ophthalmologist for more than fifty years. His descendants established the Briggs Fund in his name several years ago. Society for the Blind is the beneficiary of the fund, which ensures people can receive low-vision eye care regardless of their ability to pay.

Society for the Blind is a full-service nonprofit agency providing services and programs for people who are blind or have low vision. Serving 27 counties in Northern California, the nonprofit, located in Midtown Sacramento, has been serving the Sacramento community for more than 60 years.

Each year, nearly half of the patients seen by the Society for the Blind require charity care. With the Briggs Fund, the Society for the Blind has been able to serve more than 300 people who otherwise could not receive low-vision evaluations or occupational therapy.

More information about the Society for the Blind can be found on its website.