40 years of sight saving discovery
“I commenced my position and invited world-class researchers to join me to establish Australia’s first research centre of excellence in eye disease. In the early years our researchers received 80 per cent of government grant funding to eye research in Australia as well as significant philanthropic donations. The research teams flourished with this injection of funding and went on to produce some of our biggest scientific breakthroughs, inventions, treatments and gene therapies.” Professor Ian Constable AO
To name just a few success stories over the last 40 years, the Lions Eye Institute:
- Invented the world’s first artificial cornea
- Discovered gene therapy to treat wet age-related macular degeneration
- Invented a surgical treatment for glaucoma
- Created the Barrett Universal II Formula used in cataract surgery
- Developed surgical systems such as the CRVO laser bypass surgery
- Made a significant scientific discovery into cytomegalovirus which was awarded the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Scientific Research.
Find out more about our priority research areas.
Greatest inventions and innovative achievements
Read our 40 Years of Impact Report
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