The Discovery Fund for Eye Research was founded in 1970 by Rita and Morris S. Pynoos of Beverly Hills, California, after their oldest son was diagnosed with the vision-robbing disease, keratoconus. Begun on a small scale to help support the research of one ophthalmologist, the fund grew steadily. Subsequently, significant support has been raised by the Discovery Fund to support dedicated research scientists in their work to study not only keratoconus but ocular herpes, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy as well. The Discovery Fund also supports two public education outreach efforts: the National Keratoconus Foundation and the Macular Degeneration Partnership.