Jason Menzo, CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, submitted expert testimony to the US Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, advocating for increased funding for the National Eye Institute (NEI) in Fiscal Year 2026.
According to a press release from the foundation, Menzo emphasized the NEI’s central role in advancing vision science and called for the preservation of its status as an independent institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
“NEI is the only federal institute dedicated exclusively to vision research,” he said. He credited NEI-supported research with landmark achievements, including the development of the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited disease. Such innovations, he noted, are the result of robust investment and sustained public-private collaborations that the NEI enables.
“NEI’s work is restoring sight, advancing precision medicine, and delivering hope to millions of Americans living with retinal diseases,” Menzo said. “Continued investment is critical to maintaining momentum and achieving breakthroughs for conditions that currently have no cure.”
According to the Foundation, diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, and Stargardt disease, impact tens of millions of Americans and result in an estimated $134.2 billion in annual costs to the US economy. Menzo stressed that lapses in federal funding stall clinical trials, shutter laboratories, and risk the loss of scientific talent—damages that are difficult and expensive to reverse.
Menzo also noted the economic return on NIH research funding by citing data that each dollar invested yields $2.56 in new economic activity. “We’re not just talking about restoring sight—we’re talking about protecting America’s leadership in biomedical innovation and supporting economic growth in communities nationwide,” he said.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness is urging Congress to take 2 key actions in the FY2026 appropriations cycle:
- Deliver strong, sustained funding for the NEI.
- Maintain NEI’s status as an independent NIH institute to ensure targeted, high-impact investment in vision science.
The testimony, which is available at FightingBlindness.org, forms part of the Foundation’s broader efforts to ensure continuity in vision research funding and to accelerate the development of treatments and cures for retinal degenerative diseases, according to a press release. OM