The Augie Fund

The Augie Fund was founded in 2013, when the family of then-five-year-old Augie Wintroub-Hansen set out to find a solution for a very common challenge – keeping a young child in glasses and ensuring that all families can afford to pay for their children’s vision needs.

At the age of five, Augie was diagnosed with an eye movement disorder that resulted in the development of amblyopia. Augie began wearing specialized glasses then, as well as patching to strengthen his vision. During the course of treatment by UCSF pediatric ophthalmologists, Augie’s family recognized how expensive the specialized glasses can be. Frames and spectacles once a year cost around $250. More specialized glasses, like those tinted for patients with severe light sensitivity from corneal problems or glaucoma, are at least double that price.

It occurred to the Wintroub-Hansens that there are many families with inadequate insurance who struggle to pay for specialized glasses essential to their child’s development. The family decided to meet the challenge of this need and established The Augie Fund through That Man May See (now All May See Foundation). They are raising community support to pay for these costly aids to sight. The family has a long association with UCSF – Augie’s grandfather Bruce Wintroub, MD, is the chair of the Department of Dermatology and Vice Dean of the School of Medicine.

The family urges early screening for treatable eye disease in infancy and childhood, which can have far-reaching implications for vision, quality of life, and schooling. Without correction of substantial refractive errors, a child’s development can be permanently impacted.

“Healthy vision is so important for early learning and children’s development, and we started The Augie Fund to help make sure that all children have the vision resources they need to thrive,” says Augie’s mother Anne Wintroub. “We value UCSF’s care of Augie so much, and we appreciate That Man May See [now All May See] for helping us give back to other vision-challenged children and their families.”

With the help of The Augie Fund and with zero red tape for struggling families, UCSF’s pediatric ophthalmologists assist in dispensing specialized glasses to families with hardship, just as if they were covered by insurance. These important gifts will forever make a difference in the lives of the babies and children who benefit.

To learn more about The Augie Fund for vulnerable families, contact All May See. To the donate to the Augie Fund, please click here, select ‘Other’ as the designation, and specify ‘The Augie Fund’ in the text box.