Bartly J. Mondino, MD
- Director, UCLA Stein Eye Institute
- Chairman, UCLA Department of Ophthalmology
- Bradley R. Straatsma, MD, Endowed Chair in Ophthalmology
The UCLA Stein Eye Institute’s original mandate from 1966 remains paramount today: the relentless drive for excellence and the constant search for new possibilities in the treatment of the eye.
Dedicated to the preservation of sight and prevention of blindness, UCLA Department of Ophthalmology award-winning vision scientists and clinicians foster innovative and groundbreaking advances in research, clinical care in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease, training of the next generation of physicians, and eye-health outreach to the community both locally and across the globe.
Our milestone successes, like transplanting the first human embryonic stem-cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells into the eyes of legally blind patients, open entirely new possibilities and create prospects for developing treatments we have never considered before. UCLA Stein Eye Institute’s tradition of excellence is carried forward by our scientists and clinicians who work together towards a common goal. Through the sharing of ideas—and ultimately discoveries—the underlying causes and outcomes of illness can be revealed, and effective prevention, early detection, and personalized treatments can be realized.
With shrinking dollars for medical research, public universities have become increasingly dependent on private funding sources. To compensate, the Stein Eye Institute, in concert with UCLA, seeks outside support to both retain and build our outstanding basic science and clinical faculty and to continue their outstanding and revolutionary research.
This strong tradition of private philanthropy has nurtured the Institute’s national and international prominence. Since U.S. News & World Report first began its ranking of “Best Hospitals,” UCLA Stein Eye Institute––and now with affiliation partner, the Doheny Eye Institute––has been consecutively honored as being among the top five eye care centers in the United States and the best in the Western United States.
