School receives vision grants

A group of scientists working in IU’s School of Optometry and the Department of Biology will share more than $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health to support their ongoing vision research.

The grant from the National Eye Institute, an arm of the National Institutes of Health, places the IU-Bloomington campus among an elite group of vision research centers in the nation.

By providing core services to investigators who have already independently received funding from the National Eye Institute, the grants will accelerate the progress of vision research through support for widely used research service, according to an IU press release.

Because the grant can ultimately assist individuals with National Eye Institute support across the entire campus, it will be a resource for all vision scientists.

Currently, the core grant supports the research efforts of 10 National Eye Institute-funded IU researchers, including optometry professor Stephen Burns, principal investigator on the grant.

Burns has been continuously funded by the National Eye Institute since 1982.

School of Optometry Interim Dean Sarita Soni said the grant confirms recognition by the National Eye Institute and NIH that the expansion of vision research under way at the school warranted additional support. Faculty at the school have received four additional independent research grants from National Eye Institute in just the past two years, and the number of research laboratories at the school has grown from eight to 15 in the past eight years, according to a press release.

The school has also added nine new faculty members in the past eight years, including Burns, Ann Elsner, William Swanson and assistant professor Shirin Hassan in the past four years, and plans to hire three more investigators during the next five years to meet the needs of its growing vision science and optometry programs.

“This award fulfills one of the key strategic goals that the School of Optometry faculty set for its research program 10 years ago. The research funding and publications have increased exponentially in the last few years, and we anticipate this growth to continue,” Soni said in a statement.

The grant aims to support infrastructure improvements in three areas where researchers share resources – electronics, machine shop and scientific computing – and will play a key role in allowing for the seamless integration of mechanical, electronic and software components in the design and use of custom research equipment and new clinical technology.

This award will also allow for a new level of coordinated activity among laboratories and groups and support sustained interaction with sophisticated supercomputing and 3D visualization resources, including collaboration with University Information Technology Services.
The school already has active collaborations underway with the cognitive science, computer science, mathematics and neuroscience departments at IU, according to a press release.

“We are thrilled the National Eye Institute saw the numerous concrete examples of the significant support the school and the IU-Bloomington campus has provided for vision research in its quest to become a major center for vision research and for training future vision researchers,” Burns said in a statement.