Applications Being Accepted for the New AAOF and Meta Reality Labs Research $1.5 Million Open-Science Myopia Grant
The American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) and Meta Reality Labs Research (RLR) have launched a new grant opportunity aimed at advancing research in the field of myopia and its connection to visual experience. The 2025 Myopia Research Grant will provide three awards of $500,000 each, totaling $1.5 million in funding.
This initiative seeks to accelerate the understanding of myopia development and progression through the use of the VEET device, which collects observational visual environment data. AAOF and RLR are calling for proposals for open-science, longitudinal studies that investigate quantified visual experience and its relationship to myopia outcomes.
Eligibility Criteria
Two of the three awards will be available exclusively to Fellows of the American Academy of Optometry, while the third award is open to all researchers who meet the following criteria:
Principal Investigator(s) (PI) must have an institutional affiliation where the proposed research will take place. The institution must not be a for-profit entity and must agree to accept the grant as direct costs only.
The research must address a significant question in myopia etiology and prevention with the potential to impact the field positively.
Applicants must ensure that their studies:
Utilize the VEET device to collect visual experience data for correlation with myopia outcomes
Follow a longitudinal design, ideally spanning 3 years, in accordance with the International Myopia Institute recommendations
Include axial length and cycloplegic refractive error as key outcome measures
Receive approval from a certified institutional review board (IRB), human subjects committee, or an equivalent qualified body before funding is awarded
The Letter of Intent (LOI) submission portal will open on January 30, 2025, and close on February 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST. Selected applicants will be invited to submit full proposals by April 15, 2025, with a final submission deadline of July 11, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST.
For more details about the grant, application requirements, and submission guidelines, visit the AAOF website.