Skip to main

Setting Your Sights

Why eye and vision research?

The eyes are the window to the world. They are why we can appreciate beauty, recognize danger and function in our environments. However, the eye is also a complex organ with many parts to its anatomy that all need to function properly to help the brain receive, understand and interpret images. Understandably, eye diseases and injuries, vision impairment and vision loss can severely impact an individual’s quality of life.            

Eye and vision researchers study the eye’s anatomy and its relationship to the brain to understand how to prevent, treat and correct eye and vision disorders. The information they discover helps inform the development of new medicines, surgeries, procedures and clinical practices that ultimately help ophthalmologists and optometrists better care for eyes around the world.

Protecting and restoring sight does not just occur in a lab though. Eye and vision researchers may work as science writers, helping the public understand why and how to care for your eyes. You can also be a science policy expert/advocate, providing advice to lawmakers on how they can help to advance eye and vision research (e.g., by providing federal funding to support research).

Why you?

Like to ask questions? Interested in learning about how things work? Then you are already well on your way to becoming a researcher! Researchers are people just like you who took their curiosity and made it a career. We know you have what it takes to do the same! A career in eye and vision science is infinitely rewarding with numerous paths that can lead to making an impact in many peoples’ lives. We hope the resources here will help you on your journey and one day we may welcome you as an ARVO member!

two researchers working on in a lab
Want to learn more about becoming an eye and vision scientist?

Explore our resources to get started:

Eye and Vision Science Career Toolkit

  • What are the qualities of a good researcher?
  • Recommended courses of study (as a high school, undergraduate, graduate, medical/PhD student)
  • How current researchers got started in the field
  • A day in the life of a vision researcher

Visual Science Materials

  • The anatomy of the eye
  • The visual system
  • Eye conditions and diseases
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology

Additional Resources

Decorative image

Eye and vision science learning opportunities

Available for high school to graduate level students.
Decorative image

STEMM and research resources

Research and STEMM programs, online learning tools, trainings and more.
Decorative image

STEM contests and challenges

National and international visual science and STEM-related competitions open to middle and high school students.
Decorative image

Ivan's Lab

Visit Ivan the Eye in his research lab where he works every day to protect eyes and vision through science!
Decorative image

Get Involved

Interested in inspiring the next generation of eye and vision researchers? See all of the ways you can get involved with ARVO's Setting Your Sights Program.

The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) provides the content on the Setting Your Sights (SYS) pages as a service to the general public. The information and hyperlinks are provided as a convenience and should not be construed as an endorsement of a particular idea, product, service or firm. ARVO does not conduct any testing or offer certification of any idea, product, service or firm. ARVO disclaims responsibility for damages of any kind to persons or property resulting from any idea, product, service or firm referred to in information provided at this site, or via links to other sites.

All material appearing on the SYS pages are the property of ARVO or the party credited as the provider of the content. Individuals may not copy, reproduce, redistribute, modify, create derivative works, transmit, or in any way exploit any such content, nor may they sell or offer it for sale. Individuals may not alter or remove any copyright, logos or other notice from copies of the content on ARVO’s SYS pages. Copying or storing any content except as provided above is expressly prohibited without prior written permission of ARVO or the copyright holder identified in the individual content’s copyright notice. For permission to use the content on ARVO’s SYS pages, as well as any questions or comments, please contact us at outreach@arvo.org.

The ARVO name and logo are trademarks of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology and may not be used without written permission. Inquiries may be sent to arvo@arvo.org.

ARVO reserves the right to modify or change the SYS Disclaimer.