Applications to the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) Vision Research Program (VRP) are being solicited for the Defense Health Agency (DHA) J9, Research and Development Directorate, by the US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA) using delegated authority provided by United States Code, Title 10, Section 2358 (10 USC 2358). As directed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs (OASD[HA]), the DHA manages the Defense Health Program (DHP) Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) appropriation. The execution management agent for this Program Announcement is the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP). The VRP was initiated in 2009 to fund impactful military-relevant vision research that has the potential to significantly improve the healthcare and well-being of military Service members, Veterans, their family members and caregivers, and the American public. Appropriations for the VRP from FY09 through FY19 totaled $104.95 million (M). The FY20 appropriation is $20M.

The vision of the VRP is to transform visual system trauma care for our Armed Forces and the Nation. Eye injury and visual dysfunction resulting from battlefield trauma affect a large number of Service members and Veterans. Surveillance data from the Department of Defense (DoD) indicate that eye injury accounts for approximately 15% of all injuries from battlefield trauma sustained during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, resulting in more than 182,000 ambulatory patients and 4,000 hospitalizations between 2000 and 2011. In addition, statistics from the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center show that through the first quarter of 2018, more than 380,000 Service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI), which can have significant impact on vision even when there is no injury to the eye. Research sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) showed that as many as 75% of Service members who suffered a TBI have visual dysfunction, with some patients suffering vision loss and functional blindness.

The FY20 VRP challenges the scientific community to design innovative research that will significantly advance the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, mitigation, and/or treatment of eye injury or visual dysfunction associated with military-relevant trauma. Research outcomes are expected to ultimately improve the care of Service members and Veterans as well as the American public.