Fight for Sight
Professional services
UnclaimedFight for Sight is a United States nonprofit organization that supports early-career research in ophthalmology and vision science.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Fight for Sight is a United States nonprofit research-funding organization focused on ophthalmology, visual science, and diseases that cause blindness or impaired vision. It was established in 1946 as the National Council to Combat Blindness, making it one of the earliest American nonprofit organizations dedicated to financing vision research. The organization later adopted the Fight for Sight name, which gradually replaced its original title after 1959. The organization was founded by Mildred Weisenfeld, who had lost her sight to retinitis pigmentosa. Her personal experience helped shape Fight for Sight’s emphasis on public awareness, philanthropic fundraising, and practical support for scientific investigation. In its first year, the group promoted a fundraising target of $50,000 for eye clinics and retinitis pigmentosa work. Early experimental treatments supported by the organization were conducted at New York Hospital and New York Medical College’s Flower-Fifth Avenue facility. Fight for Sight’s principal role has been to provide research funding to promising investigators, especially at the early stages of their careers when they may not yet qualify for substantial support from the National Institutes of Health. Its award structure has included postdoctoral fellowships for researchers holding relevant doctoral or medical qualifications, Grants-in-Aid for junior university faculty, and summer fellowships for medical, graduate, and undergraduate students. Awards have been evaluated through a scientific review process and have covered a broad range of eye diseases and vision conditions. The organization’s historical contributions extend beyond individual grants. Weisenfeld helped coordinate testimony before Congress in 1949 concerning the national need for eye-research funding. Fight for Sight and its supporters also advocated for the inclusion of blindness in the mandate of the federal institute that became the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. In December 1968, the National Eye Institute was established within the National Institutes of Health, an institutional development to which Fight for Sight’s awareness and advocacy efforts contributed. Research associated with Fight for Sight support has been linked to important developments in ophthalmology, including donor-cornea preservation, ophthalmic laser applications, glaucoma treatment, genetic research, retinal surgery, and intraocular lenses. The organization’s grant recipients have included researchers who later became prominent leaders in academic ophthalmology and vision science, among them Harold Scheie, Arthur Jampolsky, A. Edward Maumenee, Carl Kupfer, László Bitó, Robert Machemer, Irene H. Maumenee, David Abramson, Paul Sieving, and Jayakrishna Ambati. Fundraising and public engagement were central to the organization’s model. From 1949 into the 1990s, its signature Lights On variety-show fundraisers brought together entertainers, civic leaders, politicians, and donors. Bob Hope served as a major public supporter and led a coast-to-coast telecast in 1960 that helped create the Bob Hope Fight for Sight Fund. The organization also developed women’s auxiliary leagues in several states, established children’s eye centers at hospitals and medical institutions, and supported selected clinics, eye banks, and international projects. Fight for Sight’s grant administration changed several times. It paused new awards in 1983–1984 while reviewing its strategy. From 1983 to 1988, its awards program was administered in association with the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, and from 1988 to 2002 it operated as a research division affiliated with the National Society to Prevent Blindness, later known as Prevent Blindness America. In 2003, Fight for Sight resumed independent grant selection through its own Scientific Review Committee. The organization is distinct from later organizations using the Fight for Sight name in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Publicly available material does not establish its current operating status or present leadership with sufficient certainty.
History
Fight for Sight traces its origins to 1946, when Mildred Weisenfeld established the National Council to Combat Blindness after losing her own sight to retinitis pigmentosa. The organization sought to fill a gap in American philanthropic support for eye research and to bring blindness-related conditions into broader public and governmental focus. Eleanor Roosevelt drew attention to the group during its first year, when it was seeking funds for eye clinics and retinitis pigmentosa treatment. Early experiments supported by the organization involved patients at New York Hospital and New York Medical College’s Flower-Fifth Avenue facility. In 1949, Weisenfeld coordinated congressional testimony on the importance of eye research. Together with Mary Lasker and other supporters, she also pressed for blindness to be included in the mission of the emerging federal neurological research structure. These efforts helped build momentum for federal investment, culminating in the creation of the National Eye Institute within the NIH in 1968. Fight for Sight therefore operated both as a grantmaker and as an advocate for a permanent national infrastructure for vision science. The group expanded its research-award system in 1955 by adding summer student fellowships and postdoctoral awards. These programs created a progression from student exposure to vision research through early faculty support and later Grants-in-Aid. In late 1959, the organization adopted the Fight for Sight name. Its grants were directed by scientific review and supported work across ophthalmology, including corneal preservation, glaucoma, lasers, retinal surgery, ocular genetics, and intraocular lenses. Fundraising was equally important. The Lights On variety show began in 1949 and became a prominent annual event featuring entertainers and public figures. Bob Hope was among the organization’s strongest celebrity supporters; in 1960 he led a national telecast and helped establish a dedicated fund. Women’s auxiliary leagues formed in multiple communities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida, at their height contributing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. Fight for Sight also supported service and institutional projects. Beginning in 1961, it helped establish children’s eye centers at hospitals and medical schools in New York, Miami, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Newark. It funded or assisted eye clinics, eye-bank work, and overseas projects including a mobile eye clinic in Jerusalem and ophthalmic initiatives in India and other countries. The organization reviewed its award strategy in 1983–1984 and temporarily stopped issuing new awards. Its awards program was administered with ARVO from 1983 to 1988. From 1988 through 2002, Fight for Sight was affiliated with the National Society to Prevent Blindness, later Prevent Blindness America, as a research division; ARVO continued to assist with scientific review during part of this period. In 2003, the organization restored an independent Scientific Review Committee and resumed direct selection of award recipients. By 2009, Fight for Sight reported awarding more than $20 million in support to over 3,000 eye researchers, despite operating with a relatively modest endowment. The organization marked its sixty-fifth anniversary in 2011. Its historical identity remains associated with early-career research support, public education, and the development of American institutions devoted to blindness and vision research. It is not affiliated with similarly named organizations established later in the United Kingdom or Ireland.
- 2011
Sixty-fifth anniversary
[1]The organization marks 65 years of funding and advocacy in vision research.
- 2003
Independent scientific review restored
[1]Fight for Sight resumes direct selection of grant recipients through its own review committee.
- 1988
Research-division affiliation begins
[1]Fight for Sight becomes affiliated with the National Society to Prevent Blindness as a research division.
- 1983
Awards strategy reviewed
[1]The organization imposes a one-year moratorium on new awards while reassessing its grantmaking strategy.
- 1968
National Eye Institute established
[1]The National Eye Institute is created within the NIH after years of advocacy for federal vision-research infrastructure.
- 1961
Children’s eye-center network begins
[1]Fight for Sight begins supporting a network of pediatric eye centers at medical institutions.
- 1960
Bob Hope Fund established
[1]Bob Hope leads a national telecast and supports creation of the Bob Hope Fight for Sight Fund.
- 1959
Fight for Sight name adopted
[1]The organization formally takes the name Fight for Sight, replacing its original title over time.
- 1955
Early-career award ladder expanded
[1]Summer student fellowships and postdoctoral awards are added to complement Grants-in-Aid.
- 1949
Congressional advocacy begins
[1]Weisenfeld coordinates testimony supporting stronger national attention and funding for eye research.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit philanthropic funder and public advocate for ophthalmic and vision research, with a particular focus on promising early-career investigators.
Research funding · 1955
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Competitive awards for early-career investigators with relevant doctoral, medical, optometric, public-health, or veterinary qualifications. The fellowships are intended to help researchers establish an ophthalmic or vision-science track before they become eligible for larger government awards.
Research funding
Grants-in-Aid
Research support for junior professors and early faculty members at research universities. Projects have covered eye diseases, visual mechanisms, ophthalmic therapies, and related laboratory or clinical questions.
Research training · 1955
Summer Student Fellowships
Short-term research opportunities for medical students, graduate students, and undergraduates. The program was designed to introduce new researchers to ophthalmology and vision science and strengthen the future investigator pipeline.
Clinical and community support · 1961
Children’s Eye Centers
A network of pediatric eye-care centers supported at hospitals and medical schools, including institutions in New York, Miami, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Newark. The centers connected Fight for Sight’s fundraising mission with direct clinical services for children.
Marketing campaigns
- 2003Nancy Kerrigan spokesperson program
United States
Olympic medalist figure skater Nancy Kerrigan became a public spokesperson for Fight for Sight.
Outcome. The appointment extended the organization’s use of public figures to promote vision-research awareness and fundraising.
- 1960Bob Hope coast-to-coast telecast
United States
Bob Hope led a nationally broadcast Fight for Sight fundraising program and supported the establishment of a fund bearing his name.
Outcome. The telecast generated substantial public attention and a reported $100,000 contribution to the Bob Hope Fight for Sight Fund.
- 1949Lights On
United States
Fight for Sight’s signature variety-show fundraiser brought together entertainers, civic figures, politicians, and donors to raise money and public awareness for vision research. It remained a major annual event from 1949 into the 1990s.
Outcome. The event became a long-running national and regional fundraising platform and helped make eye research visible to a broad public audience.
Brand decisions
2003
Return to independent scientific reviewStrategyBackground
After its affiliation with Prevent Blindness America, Fight for Sight reasserted control over its research-award process.
Action taken
The organization resumed selecting grant recipients through its own independent Scientific Review Committee.
Aftermath
This restored the organization’s direct role in determining its research portfolio.
1988
Research-division affiliation with Prevent BlindnessStrategyBackground
Following the earlier period of collaboration with ARVO, Fight for Sight reorganized its awards administration.
Action taken
From 1988 to 2002, it operated as a research division affiliated with the National Society to Prevent Blindness, later Prevent Blindness America.
Aftermath
The arrangement ended when Fight for Sight returned to independent grant selection in 2003.
1983
Pause in new research awardsStrategyBackground
Fight for Sight undertook a review of its grantmaking strategy and award priorities.
Action taken
The organization imposed a one-year moratorium on new awards during 1983–1984.
Aftermath
The review was followed by periods of externally assisted award administration, including work with ARVO and later Prevent Blindness organizations.
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