Research

The Moran Eye Center is home to more than 43 faculty members, including one of the top retinal research teams in the world. Ocular studies being carried out at the Moran Eye Center receive widespread support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc., the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the Utah Lions Foundation, the National Society for the Prevention of Blindness, industry, private foundations and concerned and generous individuals. We are currently ranked 8th in the nation in annual NIH funding, with more than $6.8 million in grants. The Moran Eye Center also holds a prestigious National Eye Institute Vision Core Grant. Under the leadership of Dr. Randall J Olson, the Moran Eye Center is on the verge of an unprecedented research expansion.

The human body dedicates great resources to our gift of sight. Approximately one billion nerve cells in the brain are devoted to processing, storing, and/or transmitting visual information. Every tenth of a second, the retina sends 20 different images of the visual world to the brain, similar to watching 20 movies at once. And when any one of these many components malfunctions, the entire visual system is at risk. Understanding these systems at a basic physical, molecular and systems level is an incredible intellectual and technical challenge: one that inspires and motivates every researcher and clinician on the Moran Eye Center team.

NIH-funded research has shown that defects in over 500 different genes may cause inherited eye disease. The cumulative effect of aging is expected to lead to over 40 million cases of eye disease by 2020. Basic research programs at the John A. Moran Eye Center span a range of vision-related topics, with the goals of understanding how the eye works and how we can better prevent, treat or even cure eye disease.

In addition, our clinical research programs address such practical problems as intra-ocular lens design and compatibility, and the effects of diet on the onset and progression of certain retinal diseases. Moran researchers are involved in more than 36 active clinical trials and, through these trials, provide more than 3,000 clinical visits each year.