The National Eye Institute (NEI) was established in 1968. It is located in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The NEI is one of 27 institutes and centers of the US

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH), an agency of the

US Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

. The mission of NEI is to prolong and protect the vision of the American people. The NEI conducts and performs research into treating and preventing diseases affecting the eye or vision.

History

Before the NEI was established, primary responsibility for vision research at NIH was done by the National Institute of Neurological Disease and Blindness (NINDB) (which is now known as the

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) is a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). It conducts and funds research on brain and nervous system disorders and has a budget of just over US$2.03 billion. The ...

). NINDB was established in 1950, after President

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

signed the Omnibus Medical Research Act. The bill agreed to establish new separate institutes within NIH. This marked the beginning of vision research at a federal level. Paul Sieving-4414 pp square

Organizing, structuring, and separating

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...

and

neurological Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

research was a challenge at NINDB. NIH did its best to provide an equal budget plan for separate funding for vision research within NINDB. But there was not enough support and staff to handle more projects then what they were already undertaking. This led to the vision research program losing sufficient funding compared to the neurological research program. Some prominent members within the vision research community were not satisfied with how NINDB was operating. They did not approve of combining the two subjects of vision and neurological research together. This prompted some leading academic

ophthalmologist Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgery, surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Followin ...

s and vision community supporters which included

Bernard Becker Bernard Becker (August 21, 1920 – August 28, 2013) was an American professor emeritus of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Washington University, St. Louis, Washington University's Washington University School of Medicine, School of Medicine i ...

, David Cogan, Edward Maumenee, Michael Hogan, John McLean, Frank Newell,

Jules Stein Jules C. Stein (April 26, 1896 – April 29, 1981) was an American physician and businessman who co-founded Music Corporation of America (MCA). Early life and education Stein was born in South Bend, Indiana, to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants, one ...

, and Frank Winter to campaign for a separate institute that solely focused on vision research. The group of supporters had rallied together to begin an effort to promote and advocate for a separate vision institute at NIH. They overcame obstacles and their efforts were finally rewarded. U.S. President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

signed legislation creating the National Eye Institute, to be a part of the National Institutes of Health. The National Eye Institute (NEI) was established on August 16, 1968. This meant that the NEI would be the country's first civilian governmental body that focused on visual diseases and disorders in vision research. The first director of NEI, Dr Carl Kupfer, was appointed on January 11, 1970. Kupfer wanted to establish and mold NEI into the lead agency in vision research. He wanted to make sure that the vision research program expanded and was focused on the entire

visual system The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (the a ...

and not just part of it. During the first 14 years, the institute succeeded in attracting some noted researchers and doctors and increasing the number of researchers in vision science on its intramural staff. In 1983 NEI received national recognition for its leadership in both clinical

ophthalmology Ophthalmology ( ) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the diagnosis and treatment of eye disorders. An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a medic ...

and research on

eye diseases This is a partial list of human eye diseases and disorders. The World Health Organization publishes a classification of known diseases and injuries, the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, or ICD-10. ...

and disorders.

Organizational structure

* Office of the Director: ** Director: Dr. Michael F. Chiang ** Deputy Director: Dr. Santa Tumminia ** Associate Director for Management: Brian Trent ** Scientific Director: Dr. Sheldon S Miller ** Director of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications: Dr. Emily Chew ** Director Division of Extramural Science Programs: Dr. Michael A. Steinmetz **Director Division of Extramural Activities: Kathleen Anderson ** Clinical Director: Dr. Brian Brooks ** Director of Science Communications, Public Liaison, and Education: Maria Zacharias ** Chief Information Officer:

Research priorities

The NEI strives to be inclusive by requesting input from the community of vision researchers as well as professional and patient advocacy organizations. NEI planning activities are conducted under the auspices of the National Advisory Eye Council (NAEC), a committee of clinicians, researchers, patients and stakeholders that advises the institute on funding decisions, initiatives, and strategic planning. The NEI recognizes that new ideas and concepts are constantly emerging and that the main engine for scientific discovery is investigator-initiated research. The most important priority is to support the highest quality research that will help achieve the mission of the NEI. Some of the areas of interest include, retinal diseases, corneal diseases, lens and

cataract A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble w ...

glaucoma Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that result in damage to the optic nerve (or retina) and cause vision loss. The most common type is open-angle (wide angle, chronic simple) glaucoma, in which the drainage angle for fluid within the eye rem ...

and optic neuropathies,

strabismus Strabismus is a vision disorder in which the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object. The eye that is focused on an object can alternate. The condition may be present occasionally or constantly. If present during a ...

amblyopia Amblyopia, also called lazy eye, is a disorder of sight in which the brain fails to fully process input from one eye and over time favors the other eye. It results in decreased vision in an eye that typically appears normal in other aspects. Amb ...

, and visual processing, and

low vision Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

and

blindness Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

rehabilitation. In 2013, the NEI launched the Audacious Goals Initiative in Regenerative Medicine for Vision (AGI), originally the NEI Audacious Goals Initiative, to catalyze fundamental research toward "restoring vision through the regeneration of neurons and neural connections in the eye and visual system." The initiative targets photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells. Currently, the AGI funds three research consortia, representing 16 projects and $62 million. The AGI Functional Imaging Consortium addresses the technical needs and opportunities for imaging cells of the visual system as they respond to light. The AGI Regenerative Factor Discovery Consortium is identifying factors that control cell regeneration in the visual system. The Translational-Enabling Models Consortium is developing animal models that have fidelity to human eye disease, a critical step toward testing regenerative therapies in clinical trials. Beyond direct funding, AGI has generated interest from the vision research community, helping to expand the NEI regenerative medicine portfolio.

Research achievements

NEI supported research has contributed to knowledge of how the eye functions in health and disease. Some of the research supported by the NEI includes:

Age-related macular degeneration

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study

The

Age-Related Eye Disease Study The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) was a clinical trial sponsored by the National Eye Institute that ran from 1992-2001. The study was designed to: * investigate the natural history and risk factors of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) ...

(AREDS) was a randomized clinical trial study that followed participants over eight years since the start of enrollment in 1992 and was completed in 2001. The study showed the combination of high levels of

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

s and zinc can reduce the risk of advanced

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Macular degeneration, also known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Early on there are often no symptoms. Over time, however, som ...

(AMD) and its associated vision loss. This combination isn't a cure or treatment for AMD. The specific daily amounts of antioxidants and zinc used in the study were: 500 milligrams of

vitamin C Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits and vegetables, also sold as a dietary supplement and as a topical 'serum' ingredient to treat melasma (dark pigment spots) an ...

, 400 International Units of

vitamin E Vitamin E is a group of eight fat soluble compounds that include four tocopherols and four tocotrienols. Vitamin E deficiency, which is rare and usually due to an underlying problem with digesting dietary fat rather than from a diet low in vitami ...

, 15 milligrams of beta-carotene (equivalent to 25,000 International Units of

vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin and an essential nutrient for humans. It is a group of organic compounds that includes retinol, retinal (also known as retinaldehyde), retinoic acid, and several provitamin A carotenoids (most notably bet ...

), 80 milligrams of

zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...

zinc oxide Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white powder that is insoluble in water. ZnO is used as an additive in numerous materials and products including cosmetics, food supplements, rubbers, plastics, ceramics, glass, cemen ...

, and 2 milligrams of

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

cupric oxide Copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula CuO. A black solid, it is one of the two stable oxides of copper, the other being Cu2O or copper(I) oxide (cuprous oxide). As a mineral, it is known as tenorite. It is ...

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2)

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) started in 2006 and was completed in 2012. AREDS2 is a second separate study from the original AREDS study. The purpose of this study was to improve and test different combinations of the original AREDS formula by adding

omega-3 fatty acids Omega−3 fatty acids, also called Omega-3 oils, ω−3 fatty acids or ''n''−3 fatty acids, are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) characterized by the presence of a double bond, three atoms away from the terminal methyl group in their chem ...

, antioxidants

lutein Lutein (;"Lutein"

zeaxanthin Zeaxanthin is one of the most common carotenoids in nature, and is used in the xanthophyll cycle. Synthesized in plants and some micro-organisms, it is the pigment that gives paprika (made from bell peppers), corn, saffron, goji ( wolfberries), ...

, removing beta-carotene, and lowering the amount of

. The antioxidants, lutein and zeaxanthin, were added to substitute beta-carotene from the formula because of the risk of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

for smokers and former smokers found in a study conducted by the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

(NCI). Researchers added omega-3 fatty acids because of recent research found that it may be helpful to vision health and the zinc was lowered because some experts believed 80 mg was too high of a dosage.

Comparison of Age-Related Treatment Trial

The Comparison of Age-Related Treatment Trial: Lucentis-Avastin (CATT) study was a two-year multicenter

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

that started in 2008 to compare the effectiveness of the two current treatments used for AMD. The results of the study concluded that both

Lucentis Ranibizumab, sold under the brand name Lucentis among others, is a monoclonal antibody fragment ( Fab) created from the same parent mouse antibody as bevacizumab. It is an anti-angiogenic that is approved to treat the "wet" type of age-related ...

and

Avastin Bevacizumab, sold under the brand name Avastin among others, is a medication used to treat a number of types of cancers and a specific eye disease. For cancer, it is given by slow injection into a vein (Intravenous therapy, intravenous) and use ...

were equally effective in treating and improving vision, whether it was used monthly or on as needed basis.

Diabetic retinopathy

Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS)

A multicenter,

randomized In common usage, randomness is the apparent or actual lack of pattern or predictability in events. A random sequence of events, symbols or steps often has no order and does not follow an intelligible pattern or combination. Individual ra ...

clinical trial that treating clinically significant

macular edema Macular edema occurs when fluid and protein deposits collect on or under the macula of the eye (a yellow central area of the retina) and causes it to thicken and swell (edema). The swelling may distort a person's central vision, because the macul ...

(CSME) with focal

argon laser An ion laser is a gas laser that uses an ionized gas as its lasing medium. Like other gas lasers, ion lasers feature a sealed cavity containing the laser medium and mirrors forming a Fabry–Pérot resonator. Unlike helium–neon lasers, the ...

photocoagulation reduced the risk of additional vision loss;

aspirin Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat inc ...

showed no benefit in delaying or reducing the onset or severity of

retinopathy Retinopathy is any damage to the retina of the eyes, which may cause vision impairment. Retinopathy often refers to retinal vascular disease, or damage to the retina caused by abnormal blood flow. Age-related macular degeneration is technically inc ...

. Likewise, aspirin did not increase the risk for development of retinopathy or the progression of retinopathy. The participants were followed up to at least five years after they were enrolled in the study. Another significant contribution of the ETDRS was the introduction of the ETDRS charts, a set of three logMAR charts now widely used for the measurement of visual acuity in vision research and clinical practice.

Anti-VEGF therapy for diabetic retinopathy

A network of NEI supported researchers, who are a part of the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network completed a two years study in 2015 that found the drug

can be an effective treatment for people with advanced stage

diabetic retinopathy Diabetic retinopathy (also known as diabetic eye disease), is a medical condition in which damage occurs to the retina due to diabetes mellitus. It is a leading cause of blindness in developed countries. Diabetic retinopathy affects up to 80 perc ...

, called proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the growth of abnormal blood vessels that leak blood. This can distort vision and damage the retina. Lucentis is one of several drugs called

vascular endothelial growth factor Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, ), originally known as vascular permeability factor (VPF), is a signal protein produced by many cells that stimulates the formation of blood vessels. To be specific, VEGF is a sub-family of growth factors, ...

(VEGF) inhibitors that can block the growth of abnormal blood vessels. This is also commonly used to treat age-related macular degeneration. This study suggests that using VEGF inhibitors may help prevent

Glaucoma

The Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study

The Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) is designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the long-range outcomes of medical and surgical management in advanced

over a four-year period. The study uses visual function status to compare two intervention sequences in managing the disease. After seven years of follow-up on patients enrolled in the AGIS, results revealed that blacks and whites differed in the way they benefited from the two treatment programs. Based on the study results, it is recommended that black patients with advanced

begin a treatment program that starts with

laser surgery Laser surgery is a type of surgery that uses a laser (in contrast to using a scalpel) to cut tissue. Examples include the use of a laser scalpel in otherwise conventional surgery, and soft-tissue laser surgery, in which the laser beam vapor ...

, which is consistent with current medical practice. In contrast, white patients with advanced glaucoma who have no life-threatening health problems should begin a treatment program that starts with

trabeculectomy Trabeculectomy is a surgical procedure used in the treatment of glaucoma to relieve intraocular pressure by removing part of the eye's trabecular meshwork and adjacent structures. It is the most common glaucoma surgery performed and allows draina ...

. This recommendation is inconsistent with current medical practice. Because glaucoma is a lifelong disease, long-term information is important. The AGIS patients will continue to be followed for up to four more years.

The Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Trial

The Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) Treatment Trial enrolled participants in 2010-2012 and they were followed up for 6 months with the last follow-up in 2013. The study tested a

drug called

acetazolamide Acetazolamide, sold under the trade name Diamox among others, is a medication used to treat glaucoma, epilepsy, altitude sickness, periodic paralysis, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (raised brain pressure of unclear cause), urine alkalin ...

(diamox) and weight loss plan to help improve vision for women who have idiopathic intracranial hypertension disorder. IIH is also called pseudotumor cerebri and usually affects overweight women. The most common symptoms associated with IIH are

headaches Headache is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches. Headaches can occur as a result of m ...

and visual problems that include blind spots, poor side vision, double vision, and temporary episodes of blindness. The study results showed that a weight loss plan and acetazolamide can help preserve and restore vision for women with IIH.

Retinopathy of prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), also called retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) and Terry syndrome, is a disease of the eye affecting prematurely born babies generally having received neonatal intensive care, in which oxygen therapy is used due to ...

(ROP) is an eye disease that affects premature infants. It is one of the most common causes of vision loss in childhood and can lead to vision impairment and blindness as children grow older. The Early Treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity Study (ETROP) helped doctors predict which infants with ROP would benefit from early treatment by identifying certain eye characteristics. The early intervention would try to prevent severe vision loss later in life. Infants with ROP were treated using

cryotherapy Cryotherapy, sometimes known as cold therapy, is the local or general use of low temperatures in medical therapy. Cryotherapy may be used to treat a variety of tissue lesions. The most prominent use of the term refers to the surgical treatment, s ...

. Cryotherapy freezes the outer parts of the retina to slow down or stop the growth of new abnormal blood vessels.

Amblyopia

Extended patching

Amblyopia Amblyopia, also called lazy eye, is a disorder of sight in which the brain fails to fully process input from one eye and over time favors the other eye. It results in decreased vision in an eye that typically appears normal in other aspects. Amb ...

, also known as lazy eye, is the most common cause of vision impairment among children. Amblyopia occurs when one eye is weakened because the eye and brain are not working together. The standard treatment for amblyopia is patching: covering the stronger eye with a patch for two hours a day to improve vision in the weaker eye. However, a recent report by the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigators Group (PEDIG) suggested that extending the daily duration of patching from two to six hours a day is effective at treating persistent amblyopia. The research was funded by NEI.

Uveitis

Uveitis and T cells

NEI researchers conducted a study that looked at the

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

in the gut and how it protects the natural flora. Findings from studies suggest that this characteristic may be similar to how

immune cells White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...

attack the eye in autoimmune eye diseases such as uveitis.

Autoimmune In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an "autoimmune disease". ...

uveitis Uveitis () is inflammation of the uvea, the pigmented layer of the eye between the inner retina and the outer fibrous layer composed of the sclera and cornea. The uvea consists of the middle layer of pigmented vascular structures of the eye and in ...

is an inflammatory eye disease where the immune cells attack proteins in the eye. By studying how immune cells, also known as

T cells A T cell is a type of lymphocyte. T cells are one of the important white blood cells of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell re ...

, attack other parts of the body, researchers may gain further information on how the T cells are activated in the eye. It will also allow researchers to understand the disease better and develop treatments or therapies.

Ebola and uveitis

Following the 2014

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...

virus outbreak in

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

, NEI investigators joined other researchers and investigators to be a part of the PREVAIL III (Partnership for Research on Ebola Virus in Liberia) study. Ebola survivors reported a variety of complaints such as headaches, joint and muscle pain, eye fatigue and blurry vision. Some reports indicate that survivors have

. Uveitis is a group of inflammatory

autoimmune In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an "autoimmune disease". ...

eye disease that produces swelling and destroys eye tissue. This can reduce vision or lead to vision loss. It is unknown to researchers what the physical long term effects of survivors, including eye health. In March 2015, investigators from different eye institutes including NEI, oversaw the design of an eye clinic for PREVAIL III in Liberia. The NEI team will travel back to Liberia during the course of the study to assist other health care professionals and partners to help provide follow-up eye care in the clinic for study participants. PREVAL III is sponsored by the

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, ) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's ...

NIH The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

Retinitis pigmentosa

Gene therapy and retinitis pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic disorder of the eyes that causes loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision (side and upper or lower visual field). As peripheral vision worsens, people may ...

(RP) is a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the

retina The retina (from la, rete "net") is the innermost, light-sensitive layer of tissue of the eye of most vertebrates and some molluscs. The optics of the eye create a focused two-dimensional image of the visual world on the retina, which then ...

. Some of the most common symptoms of the disease are poor

night vision Night vision is the ability to see in low-light conditions, either naturally with scotopic vision or through a night-vision device. Night vision requires both sufficient spectral range and sufficient intensity range. Humans have poor night vi ...

and the loss of peripheral (side) vision. Currently there is no treatment to cure RP. A recent study by NEI-funded researchers showed that gene therapy can help preserve vision in late stage retinitis pigmentosa using canine models. Gene therapy halted the thinning of the retinal layer where photoreceptors are located and preserved the surviving photoreceptors. Research is still on going.

Bionic vision

NEI help fund the first

retinal implant Retinal prostheses for restoration of sight to patients blinded by retinal degeneration are being developed by a number of private companies and research institutions worldwide. The system is meant to partially restore useful vision to people who ...

device called

Argus II Argus retinal prosthesis, also known as a bionic eye, is an electronic retinal implant manufactured by the United States, American company Second Sight Medical Products. It is used as a visual prosthesis to improve the vision of people with sever ...

Retinal Prosthesis System, developed in 2011 by Second Sight Inc. to treat people who have

retinitis pigmentosa Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a genetic disorder of the eyes that causes loss of vision. Symptoms include trouble seeing at night and decreasing peripheral vision (side and upper or lower visual field). As peripheral vision worsens, people may ...

. Argus II is a camera that is mounted on eyeglasses. The image is captured through the camera and processed by the video processing unit that transmits electrical pulse images to the retinal prosthesis through eyeglasses. This helps people with retinitis pigmentosa potentially move around and be independent. The NEI,

Department of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rel ...

, and the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National I ...

(NSF) provided the support for the development of Argus II.

Leber congenital amaurosis

Leber congenital amaurosis Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) is a rare inherited eye disease that appears at birth or in the first few months of life. It affects about 1 in 40,000 newborns. LCA was first described by Theodor Leber in the 19th century. It should not be co ...

(LCA) is an inherited disorder that causes vision loss. NEI-funded scientists discovered that treating patients with

gene therapy Gene therapy is a medical field which focuses on the genetic modification of cells to produce a therapeutic effect or the treatment of disease by repairing or reconstructing defective genetic material. The first attempt at modifying human DN ...

for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) may improve eyesight and sensitivity of the

. Some people with LCA have a mutated gene

RPE65 Retinal pigment epithelium-specific 65 kDa protein, also known as retinoid isomerohydrolase, is an enzyme of the vertebrate visual cycle that is encoded in humans by the ''RPE65'' gene. RPE65 is expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE, a ...

that makes a protein found in the retinal pigment epithelium, which is a layer of cells that nourishes the light sensors or photoreceptors cells of the retina. LCA patients with this form of the disease were injected with an altered healthy RPE65 genes. Within days of the treatment, they reported increases in the ability to see dim light.

Notes and references

External links

Official website
{{authority control Eye Institute 1968 establishments in Maryland Research institutes established in 1968 Ophthalmology organizations Medical research institutes in Maryland