Dan Ignaszewski<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\u201cThis agreement provides critical stability for vision research,\u201d Dan Ignaszewski,<\/b> executive director of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research (NAEVR), said in a press release. \u201cWhile more work remains, this package represents meaningful progress and support for the research community.\u201d<\/p>\nNational Eye Institute<\/h2>\n
The funding package allocates more than $896 million for NEI operations, roughly the same amount that has been approved each year since 2023. It does not provide for a consolidation of NIH into eight institutes, which had been in the White House\u2019s budget request.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an important near-term safeguard that preserves NEI\u2019s mission, leadership continuity and ability to maintain a focused national vision research agenda,\u201d NAEVR said in a statement to Healio. <\/p>\n
The administration\u2019s request would have merged NEI with the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. It prompted organizations across optometry and ophthalmology, including NAEVR, to launch a campaign, called #SeeWhatMatters, raising awareness about the value of NEI\u2019s research contributions.<\/p>\n
NAEVR said it expects the administration to revisit the idea next year, although Congress could stop it again.<\/p>\n
\u201cHouse and Senate appropriations committees have made clear they do not intend to pursue NIH consolidation without formal recommendations from the authorizing committees, which are the House Energy and Commerce committee and the Senate [Health, Education, Labor and Pensions] committee,\u201d the organization said. \u201cNeither has shown appetite to advance restructuring.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ignaszewski told Healio that an independent NEI is essential from his organization\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt protects a dedicated vision research portfolio, preserves a transparent and accountable budget line, and prevents vision research from being diluted within a broader neuroscience structure,\u201d he said. \u201cMost importantly, it ensures that vision remains a clear national health priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sara Everett Brown,<\/b> <\/b>senior director of government affairs at Prevent Blindness, agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cVision research deserves to be set apart,\u201d Brown told Healio. \u201cAs our nation faces many tough questions about how to respond to the chronic disease burden, new threats to our vision health and our aging population, the work of the NEI will only continue to be of significant importance in the scope of our national response to vision loss and eye disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public health cuts<\/h2>\n
The legislation proposes to cut $2 million in funding for the CDC\u2019s Vision and Eye Health program \u2014 nearly one-third of its total budget, according to Prevent Blindness. <\/p>\n
The Vision and Eye Health program supports the public health side of vision care, including through state grants for screening programs and online resources such as the Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System, according to Prevent Blindness.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time when chronic diseases like diabetes, glaucoma, myopia and others are on the rise, cutting spending will undermine the progress we have made in preventing avoidable blindness and translating important research findings to community-level interventions,\u201d Brown said in a press release from Prevent Blindness.<\/p>\n
Ignaszewski also expressed support for the program in a statement to Healio.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile our core advocacy focuses on NIH and the National Eye Institute, we recognize that CDC\u2019s vision work helps translate research into prevention strategies and population-level impact,\u201d he said, adding that \u201ca strong vision research ecosystem depends on both robust science and reliable public health infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Research funding restored<\/h2>\n
The bill includes $10 million to revive the Vision Research Program, described on its website as \u201cthe nation\u2019s primary funder of vision injury research.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program was established in 2009 within the Department of Defense (DoD) and grew to a budget of $20 million over the next 10 years, but in 2025 it was eliminated entirely amid \u201cdeep cuts\u201d to DoD\u2019s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, NAEVR told Healio.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a result, vision research lost its guaranteed portfolio within DoD, forcing researchers to compete across dozens of unrelated disease areas in the broader Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program,\u201d NAEVR said. \u201cThis reinstatement restores vision research as a recognized DoD priority, reestablishes a clear pathway for targeted awards aligned with military and veteran vision needs, and provides a stable foundation to rebuild funding toward prior levels in future years.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information:<\/h2>\n
Sara Everett Brown<\/b> <\/b>can be reached at severettbrown@preventblindness.org. <\/i>Dan Ignaszewski<\/b> can be reached at dan@eyeresearch.org.<\/p>\n\n
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Published by:<\/span>
\n![\"primary](\"https:\/\/www.healio.com\/~\/media\/h5\/feature\/news\/publogos\/pcon.svg?la=en&h=28&w=180&hash=9F02AF9127CF86DF7E84A3BCB257547E\")
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Sources\/Disclosures<\/h3>\n Source: <\/h2>\n
Press Release<\/p>\n
References:<\/b> <\/h2>\n\n- Appropriations committees release three-bill FY26 funding package: Labor, HHS, Education; Defense; Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. https:\/\/democrats-appropriations.house.gov\/news\/press-releases\/appropriations-committees-release-three-bill-fy26-funding-package-labor-hhs. Published Jan. 20, 2026. Accessed Jan 21, 2026.<\/li>\n
- Congress cuts vision and eye health funding by one-third in fiscal year 2026. https:\/\/preventblindness.org\/congress-cuts-2026-vision-funding\/. Published Jan. 21, 2026. Accessed Jan. 23, 2026.<\/li>\n
- H.R.7148 \u2013 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026. https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/119th-congress\/house-bill\/7148. Updated Jan. 22, 2026. Accessed Jan. 26, 2026.<\/li>\n
- Vision Research Program. https:\/\/cdmrp.health.mil\/vrp\/default. Updated Nov. 17, 2025. Accessed Jan. 23, 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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\n Disclosures: <\/strong>
\nBrown reports being senior director of government affairs at Prevent Blindness. Ignaszewski reports being executive director of the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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