For the Media

For information about RPB, our Grants Program, research we have supported, or for comments or quotes from eye researchers on issues pertaining to eye disease, please contact us. We're happy to help!

Media Contact

Diana Friedman

Director of External Affairs

Research to Prevent Blindness

212.752.4333

800.621.0026

dfriedman@rpbusa.org

What We Do

Research to Prevent Blindness (RPB) is the leading nonprofit organization supporting eye research directed at the prevention, treatment or eradication of all diseases that threaten vision.

Since its founding in 1960 by Dr. Jules Stein, RPB’s impact on vision research and vision care has been enormous. It coordinated the effort that led Congress in 1968 to establish the National Eye Institute within the National Institutes of Health. And since its founding, RPB has been identified with virtually every major scientific advance in eye research. When patients go to an eyecare specialist for an exam or treatment, RPB’s research dollars are almost invariably connected to the tools and knowledge applied to diagnose and treat the condition.

RPB has achieved this impact through far-reaching activities that foster the growth and development of the U.S. vision research community, including:

  • channeling more than $425 million into eye research — stimulating important new scientific investigations, accelerating the pace of research, and producing unprecedented progress in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of eye diseases;
  • approving and funding more than 4,600 grants since its inception in 1960;
  • attracting talented scientists to careers in eye research and supporting them throughout those careers with flexible funding that allows the nimble pursuit of new discoveries;
  • convening eye research funders from across the country to explore efficiencies and collaborations in the fight against vision loss; and
  • providing funding for medical institutions throughout the U.S. to create strong, research-focused departments of ophthalmology.

As a 501(c)3, RPB gratefully accepts both individual and organizational donations. RPB also partners with like-minded vision research-supporting organizations to leverage resources for the good of the field.

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