Optometry research. Part 1: Funding sources.

Part 1 of this report presents an overview of U.S. ophthalmic research in general and of optometry research in particular and identifies the National Eye Institute (NEI) as the dominant funder of both types of research. Part 2 examines how NEI funding has been distributed among the U.S. schools and colleges of optometry in the past, whereas Part 3 examines the production of published research from the schools and colleges and the Department of Veterans Affairs Optometry Service. Information is presented to indicate that the schools of optometry account for about 3% of all NEI funding and produce about 3% of all published ophthalmic research. Published optometry research results mainly from the activities of four schools and the VA Optometry Service, which has rapidly become the leading source of articles published in The Journal of the American Optometric Association and presenter of continuing education at the Academy's annual Ellerbrock Lectures. This study suggests optometry needs to husband its relatively small research base and, in the author's opinion, concentrate on the support of clinical trials and research directly relevant to primary eye care rather than basic biologic or physiologic research.