Since 1968, NEI-supported researchers have been pioneering new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat eye diseases and vision impairment. This year, we’re proud to celebrate our 50th anniversary, renewing our commitment to protect and prolong vision through cutting-edge research and education programs.
Through clinical and postdoctoral fellowships, as well as summer and year-round student internships, NEI provides career training and support to students with an interest in ophthalmology and vision research.
NEI’s Audacious Goals Initiative is supporting researchers in developing next-generation eye imaging tools. These tools are a key component of cutting-edge research to understand, diagnose, treat, and prevent vision loss — and they’re creating stunning imagery of the inside of the eye in unprecedented detail.
Get information about common eye conditions and diseases.
Find out about eye exams and other ways to keep your eyes healthy.
Learn how NEI research helps prevent and treat eye disease and vision loss.
Make learning fun with NEI’s kid-friendly materials and videos.
Busque información de salud de los ojos en español.
Vision researcher, T. Michael Redmond, Ph.D., chief of the National Eye Institute (NEI) Laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology, is a recipient of the 2018 António Champalimaud Vision Award for foundational science discoveries about the molecular biology of the retina, the light-sensing
Scientists funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) report a novel gene therapy that halts vision loss in a canine model of a blinding condition called autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP). The strategy could one day be used to slow or prevent vision loss in people with the disease.
Researchers funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI) have reversed congenital blindness in mice by changing supportive cells in the retina called Müller glia into rod photoreceptors.
Every year, NEI supports vision research through more than 1,500 research grants and training awards to scientists at more than 250 institutions across the country and around the world. NEI also conducts laboratory research and clinical trials.
Learn about NEI grants and funding Learn about research at NEI
The NEI Director’s Initiatives focus on challenging, high-impact areas of vision research. NEI’s current research priorities include: