Nation’s Eye Physicians, Researchers Launch Campaign to Protect America’s Standing as World Leader in Vision Research

JUL 23, 2025

Nation's Eye Physicians, Researchers Launch Campaign to Protect America's Standing as World Leader in Vision Research

Eye and vision organizations illuminate the National Eye Institute's power to offer hope and effective treatment for millions of Americans

SAN FRANCISCO - The nation's vision community is ramping up its defense of the National Eye Institute (NEI) and its 57-year track record of progress amid mounting threats to slash federal vision funding and consolidate the NEI into a broader institute on brain and dental research.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO), American Academy of Optometry (AAOptom), Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR) and Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (AEVR) are working together to staunchly oppose any proposal to consolidate the NEI into a broader Institute on Neuroscience and Brain Research.

This week, we launched our #SeeWhatMatters campaign, an educational and grassroots advocacy effort to elevate the profile of federally funded vision research, reinforce the critical need to keep NEI independent, and demonstrate how the NEI has touched countless lives with vision saved and improved quality of life. The campaign provides all stakeholders, including patients, researchers, clinicians, industry, and advocates with a unified message and shared tools to tell the story of why vision research matters to every American.

A few examples of what it means to #SeeWhatMatters:

• NEI research powered the development of a non-invasive imaging technology, ocular coherence tomography, that has revolutionized treatment of several blinding eye diseases and saved both Medicare and patients billions of dollars.
  
  
• NEI funding paved the way for the first vision-restoring treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This powerful class of drugs, called anti-VEGFs, stops vision loss in more than 90 percent of patients with AMD and improves vision in about one-third.
  
  
• NEI-supported scientists have used gene therapy to partially restore vision - for the very first time - to people with a blinding disease that begins in childhood, called Leber's congenital amaurosis. NEI-funded researchers are now moving rapidly to develop gene therapy approaches for a range of inherited retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa.
  
  
• NEI is an early investor in groundbreaking work to end blindness in diabetes patients using artificial intelligence. Since 2004, NEI has continuously funded the work of ophthalmologist Dr. Michael Abramoff's pioneering research. Dr. Abramoff is the first physician in any medical field to receive FDA clearance for an autonomous artificial intelligence system. The platform, LumineticsCore™ (formerly IDX-DR), can instantly diagnose diabetic retinopathy in a primary care physician's office, a breakthrough that could prevent vision loss in thousands of people with diabetes annually.
  
  
• Now is not the time to diminish or defund the NEI. As our population ages, nearly every American will personally face a visual disease or disorder. Adequately funding NEI can prevent billions in expenditures across Medicare and Medicaid, private insurance, and family care costs. Vision loss is expected to cost the U.S. economy nearly $200 billion in 2025 alone through direct medical expenses and lost productivity.

"Congress created the NEI in 1968 because the nation was falling behind in vision research," said Stephen D. McLeod, MD, CEO of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. "The NEI has upheld its end of the bargain for the American people. For the sake of the sight of millions, we expect Congress to continue upholding its end."

We invite the entire vision research and eye care community to stand with us. Learn more, explore the tools, and share your voice at SeeWhatMatters.org

Speaking up for vision research now, will protect the future of sight-saving treatments and cures.

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology
The American Academy of Ophthalmology is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons. A global community of 32,000 medical doctors, we protect sight and empower lives by setting the standards for ophthalmic education and advocating for our patients and the public. We innovate and support research to advance our profession and to ensure the delivery of the highest-quality eye care. Our EyeSmart® program provides the public with the most trusted information about eye health. For more information, visit aao.org.