Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute

Vision research, like all biomedical science, has been revolutionized by the ability to identify and manipulate genes. The promise and power of research to prevent and cure disease has never been greater.

Scientists working in the laboratories of the Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute search for the underlying causes of every major eye disease—including macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. They continue to unravel the mystery of how we see—because understanding how healthy vision works is critical to solving what can go wrong. And they employ the most advanced biotechnologies, from gene silencing to confocal microscopy, to conduct novel experiments that push the boundaries of what we know about vision and eye disease.

The treatments for blinding eye diseases at our disposal today are the result of discoveries made in research laboratories a generation ago. The research underway in the Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute, and throughout the community of vision scientists, points the way to treatments we can only begin to imagine.