American Academy of Optometry Foundation, Meta Reality Labs Research accepting grant applications for myopia research

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The American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) and Meta Reality Labs Research (RLR) have announced that applications are now being accepted for a new grant opportunity focusing on stimulating new investigations in the field of myopia and the role visual experience plays on its onset and progression.¹ The 2025 Myopia Research Grant will comprise of 3 awards of $500,000 each, according to a news release.

“The AAOF is honored to partner with Meta RLR to bring this impactful grant opportunity to myopia researchers around the globe,” said AAOF Board President Valerie Sharpe, OD, FAAO, in the release. “This new award underscores RLR’s outstanding investment in the vision science field and AAOF’s commitment to driving industry-academic partnerships in the pursuit of exceptional patient care.”

The award will specifically aid the advancement of myopia development or progression research by utilizing Meta RLR’s VEET device to collect observational visual environment data. Proposals sought by the organizations are those of open-science, longitudinal studies concerning the “quantified visual experience and its relationship to subsequent myopia outcomes,” the release stated.

Of the 3 awards, 2 are open exclusively to Fellows of the AAO, with the third award open to any applicant who have institutional affiliation and those proposing research addressing the relevant research question(s) with the potential of positive impact on the field of myopia etiology and prevention. Institutions that applicants are affiliates with must be where the proposed work will be conducted, and should not include a for-profit corporation, in addition to accepting that the grant is direct costs only.¹

Additionally, studies proposed must use A VEET to gather visual experience data to be correlated with myopia outcomes, be longitudinal in nature and ideally span over 3 years as recommended by the International Myopia Institute, include at least axial length and cycloplegic refractive error in outcome measures, and be thoroughly reviewed and approved by a certified institutional review board, human subjects committee, or comparable qualified body before funding is disbursed.¹

The Letter of Intent submission portal will be open from January 30 through February 28, 202511:50 pm EST. Applicants selected to submit full proposals will then be notified by April 15, 2025, who will then have until July 11, 2025, 11:59 pm EST to submit all application components.¹

Additional information concerning the grant opportunity can be found on AAOF’s website.

Reference:

1. Now accepting applications for the new American Academy of Optometry Foundation and Meta Reality Labs Research $1.5 million USD open-science myopia grant. News release. American Academy of Optometry Foundation. January 30, 2025. Accessed January 30, 2025. https://aaopt.org/about-us/news/#toggle-id-1