The facts are compelling. By the age of 65, one in 10 Americans will experience some vision loss. By 75, half of all Americans will have cataracts. And by 85, one in three Americans will struggle to see.

The number of individuals with visual impairment and blindness is increasing in United States as a result of shifting demographics, aging populations and high diabetes rates. In 2015, there were about 4 million visually impaired people in the U.S. — a figure expected to more than double to 9 million by 2050.

At the Southern California Eye Institute, it is our mission to combat vision loss through the finest clinical care and world-class research. We work toward this goal along five priority and parallel paths:

Wellness & Prevention

Our community awareness and education programs help people to better understand the impact of lifestyle and nutrition on eye health. We back these up with early screening and integrated health services.

Compassionate, Personalized Care

We are recruiting a top faculty of vision experts and clinician scientists who provide the best in evidence-based, multi-specialty clinical and patient-centered care.

Innovation & Discovery

Among the cutting-edge technologies and therapies we are advancing include stem cells, artificial retinas and novel glaucoma devices, as well as long-term drug delivery and functional imaging.

Educating Future Leaders

We are committed to nurturing new generations of vision specialists to build on current breakthroughs. Our educational agenda encompasses medical student electives, and residency and fellowship programs.

International Strategic Alliances

We believe in the power of collaboration and cross-pollination of research and best practices. So we promote exchange programs for specialty training and telemedicine for clinical care and education.

Research

Under the direction of Rohit Varma, MD, MPH, founding director, our research agenda at the Southern California Eye Institute is attacking vision loss from multiple angles — including community-based studies, genetic analysis, artificial intelligence, device development, imaging advances, and novel treatments.