Since its establishment in Fiscal Year 2009, the Department of Defense’s Vision Research Program (VRP) has been a beacon of hope for those affected by combat-related vision issues. This program is the primary source of funding for pioneering research aimed at preventing, diagnosing, and treating vision loss and dysfunction resulting from combat trauma.
From its inception through FY2022, Congress has consistently supported the VRP, enabling the DOD, with the U.S. Army Medical Research & Materiel Command as its manager, to award 172 grants totaling an impressive $175 million. This funding has fueled groundbreaking research in critical areas such as penetrating eye injuries, corneal healing, retinal and corneal protection, traumatic brain injury (TBI)-related visual dysfunction, eye blast phenomena, and vision rehabilitation.
This program addresses significant gaps identified by the DoD in vision research, ensuring that our service members receive the best possible care and that advancements in eye health are continuously made. The VRP’s impact is profound, as it not only enhances the quality of life for those affected but also contributes to broader medical knowledge and innovation.
In contemporary terms, the VRP stands as a testament to the power of dedicated research and targeted funding. It highlights the importance of sustained investment in vision research, not just for the military community but for the broader public as well. The breakthroughs achieved through this program have the potential to transform lives, offering new hope and improved outcomes for those suffering from vision impairments.
As we continue to advocate for increased funding and support for the VRP, we are reminded of the program’s vital role in advancing eye and vision research. It’s a call to action for policymakers, researchers, and the public to recognize the importance of this work and to ensure that it remains a priority in the years to come. Together, we can drive forward the innovations that will protect and restore vision for countless individuals, both within the military and beyond.
Abstracts for previously funded VRP projects are listed below.
Dr. Ramesh Ayyala, Artificial Cornea and Sensor-Based Continuous IOP Monitoring System to Treat Patients with Cornea Blindness Secondary to War-Related Ocular Injuries
Dr. Dong Feng Chen, Noninvasive Electric Stimulation Therapy for Laser Eye Injury and Vision Preservation
Dr. Anat Galor, Understanding and Treating TBI-Associated Photophobia with Botulinum Toxin Type A and Its Impact on Visual Function
Dr. Keo Kim, The Role of the Rho-Kinase Pathway in Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy
Dr. Cindy Linn, Recovery of Functional Visual Pathways in the Adult Mammalian Brain Using an Alpha7 nAChR Agonist After Blast Exposure
Dr. Eleftherios Paschalis Ilios, Transitioning the Minimally Invasive Artificial Cornea (mi-KPro) from Bench to Bedside: A Safer Alternative for the Treatment of World’s Corneal Blindness
Dr. Tannin Schmidt, Multifunctional Bandage Lens and Bioadhesive for the Treatment of Corneal Wounds
Dr. Kenneth Shindler, Rapid Delivery of SIRT1-Mediated Neuroprotective Treatment for Traumatic Optic Neuropathy
Dr. Kenneth Shepard, Wireless Implantable Interface to Visual Cortex
Dr. Katelyn Swindle-Reilly, Sustained Therapeutic Protein Cocktail Delivery to Prevent Vision Loss After Ocular Trauma
Dr. Donald Zack, RGC Transplantation as a Treatment for TBI-Related Optic Nerve Injury
Dr. Srikar Adhikari, Automated Ultrasound Technology to Diagnose Traumatic Retinal Detachment
Dr. Saif Ahmad, RIC Therapy-Mediated Neuroprotection in Eye Trauma
Dr. Ruth Caldwell, Therapeutic Potential of Arginase 1 for Trauma-Induced Vision Loss
Dr. Yihe Chen, Safety and Efficacy of Supersaturated Oxygen Emulsion (SSOE) as a Novel Topical Treatment in Open Globe Injury
Dr. Lauren Costella, Lateral Flow Assay for the Diagnosis of Open Globe Injuries
Dr. Reza Dana, Concomitant Topical Treatment of Pain and Inflammation in Ocular Injuries
Dr. Nathan Evanson, Delayed Outcome Mechanisms in Chronic Traumatic Optic Neuropathy
Dr. Rajashekhar Gangaraju, TSG6 Exosomes for Treatment of Visual Dysfunction as Related to Military-Relevant Trauma
Dr. Kimberly Gokoffski, Wearable Early Intervention Electric Stimulation for Optic Nerve Regeneration
Dr. Christina Grek, Therapeutic Eye Drop for the Treatment of Corneal Injury After Chemical Burn
Dr. Jeffrey Hebert, Ocular Motor Function and Related Brain Morphology, Network, and Circuitry Metrics in Military Veterans with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Dr. David Myung, Photoactivated Regenerative Collagen Sealant for Rapid Vision Restoration After Deep Corneal Injuries
Dr. Daniel Palankar, Photovoltaic Substitute for Lost Photoreceptors in Retinal Injury or Degeneration
Dr. Jijie Pang, Roles of Mechanosensitive Channels in Pressure Wave-Induced Retinal Damage
Dr. Eleftherios Paschalis Ilios, A Novel Therapy for Complete Cornea and Retina Protection After Ocular Trauma
Dr. Matthew Reilly, Therapeutic Screening for Traumatic Optic Neuropathy
Dr. Walter Schneider, High-Definition Mapping of Multiscale Biomechanical Effects of Blast Trauma on Resilience of Fascicular Connective Tissue and Axonal Pathways in Optic Nerve Injury
Dr. Steven Wilson, Inhibition of Scarring Fibrosis and Neovascularization After Corneal Injury
Dr. Jia Yin, Advancing Supersaturated Oxygen Emulsion as a Topical Treatment for Ocular Chemical Injury in Rabbits
Dr. Nasim Annabi, Eye-Targeted Sustained Delivery of Anti-Inflammatory and Antibiotic Drugs to Injured Eyes
Dr. Mahdi Bayat, AI-Assisted 3D Ultrasound for Rapid Diagnosis of Ocular Trauma Injuries
Dr. Kevin Chan, Delivering Sensory and Semantic Visual Information via Auditory Feedback on Mobile Technology
Dr. Sunil Chauhan, Topical Hepatocyte Growth Factor for Corneal Regeneration and Reversal of Scarring
Dr. Peii Chen, A Virtual Reality Oculomotor Exercise for Restoring Functional Vision After Head Trauma
Dr. Joseph Ciolino, A Dual Antibiotic-Steroid Drug-Eluting Contact Lens for Treatment of Eye Injuries That Can Be Used in an Austere Environment or Prolonged Field Care Setting
Dr. Nick Di Girolamo, Sight-Restoring Therapy for Corneal Injuries Sustained on the Battlefield From Chemical Warfare
Dr. Nathan Evanson, Role of Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Systemic Inflammation in Blunt TBI-Induced Optic Nerve Injury
Dr. Katherine Hajjar, The Annexin A2 Pathway in Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy: A New Therapeutic Target
Dr. Wilson Heriot, Clinical Translation of Retinal Thermofusion for Rapid Retinal Detachment Repair Without Tamponade
Dr. Robert Hunt, Repair of the Traumatically Injured Central Visual System by Interneuron Transplantation
Dr. Stanley Louie, NorLeu3Angiotensin (1-7) Promotes Nonfibrotic Healing in Ocular Globe Injury Models
Dr. Orest Olejnik, Topical Novel Nonopioid Pain Relief for Eye Injury
Dr. Tawna Roberts, Abnormal Dynamic Visual Function and Associated Symptomatology in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Dr. Valery Shestopalov, Targeting Mechanical Stress Signaling and Inflammasome in Traumatic Ocular Injury
Dr. Molly Shoichet, Injectable and Biodegradable Vitreous Substitute to Restore Vision Function Following Retinal Detachment
Dr. Audrey Bowden, Battlefield-Ready Fully Handheld Anterior-Segment Optical Coherence Tomography
Dr. Maria Valeria Canto-Soler, 3D Retinal Transplants Derived from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells to Treat Combat Laser-Induced Blindness
Dr. Sunil Chauhan, A Novel Target for Faster Wound Closure in Ocular Trauma
Dr. Gere DiZerega, Phase 2 Enabling Evaluations of USB005 for Treatment of Corneal Injuries
Dr. Laura Ensign, Development of Drug-Eluting, Absorbable Sutures for Ocular Trauma Surgery
Dr. Anat Galor, Automated Assessment of Visual Photosensitivity in Traumatic Brain Injury
Dr. David Gamm, Outer Retina Reconstruction for Combat Afflictions (ORRCA)
Dr. Gautam Ghatnekar, Evaluation of the Clinical Safety of a Novel Peptide-Based Topical Therapeutic to Promote Corneal Regeneration
Dr. Andy Hartwick, Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Retinal Ganglion Cell Light Adaptation
Dr. Joseph Izatt, Automated OCT Technology Translation to Diagnose Traumatic Eye Injury
Dr. Cindy Linn, Neurogenesis and Recovery of Visual Function After Blast Exposure
Dr. Nawajes Mandal, Therapeutic Potential of n-3 PUFAs TBI Mediated Visual Dysfunction
Dr. Shigemi Matsuyama, Prevention of Blindness by Novel Cytoprotective Small Compounds
Dr. Benoit Mouzon, Amnion Cell Secretome Mediated Therapy for the Restoration of Traumatic Optic Neuropathy After Brain Trauma
Dr. Missag Parseghian, Rapid Delivery of Hsp72 for Ocular Cytoprotection After a Traumatic Brain Injury
Dr. Eleftherios Paschalis Ilios, A Minimally Invasive Artificial Cornea for Vision Restoration in Severely Injured Eyes
Dr. Jose Rios, Development and Validation of a Novel Specialized Proresolving Mediators (SPM) Therapy to Counter Blast-Related Eye Injuries
Dr. Baerbel Rohrer, Strategies to Reduce Visual Pathway Damage Secondary to Brain Trauma
Dr. Walter Schneider, High-Definition Axonal and Connective Tissue Imaging (HD-ACTI) in Porcine and Human Models of Traumatic Optic Nerve Injury
Dr. Amanda Staudt, Epidemiology of Combat Ocular Injury to Guide Prolonged Field Care
Dr. Hongli Wu, Retina-Targeted Estrogen Prodrug: A New Concept for Retinal Protection
Dr. Jia Yin, Supersaturated Oxygen Emulsion as a Novel Topical Treatment for Ocular Chemical Injury
