Jason Menzo Advocates for Strong FY2026 Funding for the National Eye Institute and Protection of Its Independence

COLUMBIA, Md., June 13, 2025 — The Foundation Fighting Blindness, a leading organization dedicated to finding treatments and cures for blinding diseases, submitted testimony to the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. Jason Menzo, the Foundation’s CEO, presented the testimony as an external expert, urging the Subcommittee to ensure consistent and substantial funding for the National Eye Institute (NEI) in Fiscal Year 2026. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining NEI as an independent entity within the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

According to Jason Menzo, CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, the NEI is the only federal institute solely focused on vision research. He stated that the NEI’s work is crucial for restoring sight, promoting precision medicine, and offering hope to millions of Americans affected by retinal diseases. He stressed that continued investment is essential to sustain progress and achieve breakthroughs for currently incurable conditions.

The Foundation’s testimony underscored the significant discoveries resulting from NEI-supported research, including the first FDA-approved gene therapy for an inherited disease. It also highlighted NEI’s pivotal role in public-private partnerships that expedite treatment development. The Foundation Fighting Blindness and NEI have a longstanding, collaborative relationship focused on advancing impactful scientific discoveries and accelerating the availability of new treatments for patients. Vision loss resulting from conditions like retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, and Stargardt disease impacts tens of millions of people and costs the U.S. economy an estimated $134.2 billion each year.

The Foundation warned that inconsistent funding can halt clinical trials, lead to lab closures, and risk the loss of talented scientists – consequences that are difficult and expensive to remedy. The testimony also pointed out that every dollar invested in NIH-funded research generates $2.56 in new economic activity, making it a high-return investment for Congress.

Menzo added that their efforts are not only about restoring sight but also about preserving America’s leadership in biomedical innovation and fostering economic growth across the nation.

The Foundation Fighting Blindness urges Congress to:

• Ensure strong, consistent funding for NEI in the FY2026 Labor-HHS Appropriations bill.
• Maintain NEI’s independence within NIH to guarantee targeted, strategic investment in vision science.

The complete testimony can be found at .

About the Foundation Fighting Blindness
Founded in 1971, the Foundation Fighting Blindness is the world’s largest private funder of research into retinal degenerative diseases. The Foundation has raised over $954 million to support its mission of preventing, treating, and curing blinding diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration, Usher syndrome, and others. Visit for more information.

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SOURCE Foundation Fighting Blindness

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