Give the Gift of Sight

Because Seeing Is More Than Vision — It Is Life, Dignity, and Hope

“The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.” — Helen Keller

Imagine waking each morning to a world that is slowly fading. Faces blur. Words disappear. Independence slips away—not all at once, but quietly, relentlessly.

For millions of people, vision loss is not a distant fear. It is a daily reality that touches every part of life: the ability to work, to drive, to read, to recognize the faces of loved ones, to live without fear. And what makes this loss even more painful is that much of it does not have to happen.

Research suggests that a substantial portion of vision impairment and blindness may be preventable with earlier diagnosis and timely care. Each missed opportunity represents not just a medical failure—but a human one.

At Southern California Eye Institute (SCEI), this truth is at the heart of everything we do—and why philanthropic partnership matters so deeply.

A Mission Rooted in Compassion

Southern California Eye Institute is a nonprofit academic eye institute dedicated to preserving and restoring vision—not simply as a clinical outcome, but as a human right.

We care for patients at moments of profound vulnerability: when they are afraid of losing independence, of becoming a burden, of no longer being able to see the people and world they love. Our physicians, surgeons, and vision scientists meet those moments with compassion, expertise, and an unwavering commitment to hope.

When Science Serves Humanity

Philanthropy at SCEI fuels work driven by a singular purpose: to give people back what vision loss threatens to take away—and to do so at moments when hope feels most fragile.

Your generosity supports research and innovation focused on:

• Exploring regenerative approaches that seek to preserve or restore damaged retinal tissue, offering hope where little once existed
• Studying artificial intelligence–enabled tools designed to identify eye disease earlier—before irreversible damage occurs
• Developing targeted drug-delivery technologies to make treatments more effective and less burdensome
• Refining advanced surgical techniques to help patients facing the most complex and high-risk eye disease

This work is not about technology for its own sake. It is about ensuring that fewer people hear the words, “There is nothing more we can do.”

Standing With Patients When Hope Is Fragile

SCEI serves as a referral destination for individuals with advanced and difficult-to-treat glaucoma—patients who often arrive after years of struggle and uncertainty. Many come to us when traditional treatments have failed and the future feels frighteningly unclear.

For many, preserving even a small amount of vision can mean the difference between dependence and autonomy.

Through evolving detection strategies and specialized surgical care, our clinicians work to preserve remaining vision for as long as possible—knowing that even small gains can mean continued independence, continued connection, and continued life as they know it.

Research That Honors Real Lives

Under the leadership of Dr. Rohit Varma, SCEI investigators have led major epidemiologic studies supported by the National Institutes of Health and other peer-reviewed funding organizations. These efforts have helped illuminate how eye disease affects diverse populations, including Latino, Chinese American, African American, and pediatric communities—groups that have too often been overlooked.

But behind every data point is a person:

• A mother who wants to keep seeing her child’s face
• A grandfather who longs to read one more bedtime story
• A working adult fighting to remain independent

This is not abstract science. It is human futures, protected one patient at a time.

Philanthropy That Protects What Matters Most

Southern California Eye Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Philanthropic partnership makes possible the work that traditional funding alone cannot sustain.

Major gifts allow us to:

• Pursue bold, high-impact research
• Expand access to specialized, sight-saving care
• Train the next generation of compassionate vision leaders
• Advance innovations that protect sight for years—and lives—to come

Your gift does not simply fund programs. It intervenes at a moment when sight—and independence—hang in the balance.

It preserves independence, restores dignity, and keeps the world visible for someone who fears it is disappearing.

Join Us in Giving the Gift of Sight

Donate Now — Secure, confidential giving

Donate by Check:
Payable to Southern California Eye Institute
1300 North Vermont Ave., Suite 101
Los Angeles, CA 90027

For conversations regarding major gifts, legacy giving, or naming opportunities, please contact:
Raya Karelin, MBA
[email protected] | 323-906-6098

Every act of generosity brings light where darkness threatens—and ensures that fewer lives are lived in the shadows of preventable blindness.

Southern California Eye Institute
Where compassion protects sight—and hope remains within reach.