NEI has an impressive track record. We’ve supported research that has helped us better understand vision problems — and led to new imaging techniques and breakthrough technology.

NEI funds high quality vision research. Find out how we identify the most pressing needs and opportunities.

Use our interactive tool to review important events, scientific breakthroughs, and publications starting back in 1968. That’s when President Johnson established NEI and launched a new era in vision research.

NEI leadership guides our work, including NEI’s research and other activities.

Like other agencies in the National Institutes of Health, NEI’s funding comes from taxpayers. You can read NEI’s yearly budget requests and Congressional Justifications, which lay out our goals for the next year.

Our advisory committees page has information about the Board of Scientific Counselors, National Advisory Eye Council (NAEC), and NEI Women Scientists Advisory Committee (WSAC).

NEI is allowed to accept donations from the public, and all donations go to our Gift Fund, which is only used to support vision research. Your gift could help us to train new scientists or test new treatments as part of a clinical trial.