The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute

10/14/2026

Join us at the Bay Area Science Festival this Saturday, October 17th. See details on the poster below:

10/01/2026

Come see what’s happening in our labs! 🔬

Join us for the Smith-Kettlewell Lab Showcase on October 20 from 4–6 p.m.

Meet our scientists, try hands-on demonstrations, and explore our research in vision, brain, and mobility.

You can also learn about our Blindness and Low Vision Support Group and opportunities to participate in research.

The event is free and will take place at the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute , 2318 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115.

Registration link: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/sklabdemoday/event/smithkettlewelllabdemoday/

09/14/2026

💙 Let’s Talk: The Emotional Ride of Vision Loss

Vision loss can bring changes in how we feel about ourselves, our independence, and our relationships. You don’t have to navigate those feelings alone.

Join Smith-Kettlewell’s Blindness and Low Vision Support Group for a conversation with Ricki Boden, LCSW, LMFT, a San Francisco psychotherapist with decades of experience supporting people through disability, chronic illness, and major life transitions.

Together, we’ll explore the emotional side of vision loss, share what has helped during difficult moments, and talk about finding support and communicating with family and friends.

Bring a question, an experience, or a feeling you’ve been sitting with. There’s room for your story.

📅 Wednesday, September 16, 2026
🕞 3:30–5:00 PM PDT
📍 2318 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
💻 Join in person or follow along virtually via Zoom.
Find Zoom link access here: https://www.ski.org/project/blind-and-low-vision-support-group/

Join Dr. Don Fletcher, one of the world’s leading authorities on Low Vision Rehabilitation, to share experiences and learn about the things that help you maintain a full and happy life while living with low vision.

08/19/2026

Congratulations to the teachers and students of Rivne Professional College, and thank you for recognizing our shared work!

It is wonderful to see CamIO being put into practice at the Rivne Center for Administrative Services, helping make public spaces more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision.

This is the kind of work we do at Smith-Kettlewell, bringing researchers, educators, technologists, students, and community partners together to transform innovative ideas into practical tools that promote accessibility, independence, and inclusion.

We are grateful to our colleagues at Rivne Professional College and to everyone helping ensure this work benefits the broader community.

08/17/2026

📚 Discover Free Accessible Library Services!

Join us for our August meeting featuring guest speakers from the Talking Books and Braille Center at the San Francisco Public Library.

The speakers will introduce the center’s free programs, services, and accessible equipment for San Francisco residents with visual or print-reading disabilities. The center is part of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, a program of the Library of Congress.

Attendees who join us in person can receive help completing and submitting an application during the meeting. Applications will be available in multiple languages, and approved participants will gain access to a wide range of accessibility resources at no cost.

📅 Wednesday, August 19, 2026
🕒 3:30–5:00 p.m. PDT
📍 2318 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
💻 Attend in person or follow along virtually via [Zoom]

To learn more about the support group and access to the Zoom link click here: https://www.ski.org/project/blind-and-low-vision-support-group/

We strongly encourage attending in person so the speakers can help you apply on the spot!

If you need an application in a specific language or have questions you would like the speakers to address, please let us know in advance.

Join Dr. Don Fletcher, one of the world’s leading authorities on Low Vision Rehabilitation, to share experiences and learn about the things that help you maintain a full and happy life while living with low vision.

08/13/2026

The Smith-Kettlewell community recently lost a cherished colleague and friend, Manfred MacKeben, Ph.D.

A few days ago, Manfred’s friends and colleagues from around the world came together to celebrate his life and honor his remarkable legacy. Some reflected on the research they conducted alongside him, while others shared stories about his mentorship, generosity, and the kind and joyful person he was beyond his scientific work.

Manfred was remembered for how he supported scientists early in their careers. Others spoke of his deep appreciation for art and creativity, something he proudly expressed through the imaginative way he decorated his office door, pictured below.

One quote shared during the memorial beautifully captured Manfred’s outlook on life:

“My life is like an ongoing Advent calendar. Each day that I am blessed to wake up, I get to open a new door and see what new thing life has in store for me.”

Manfred approached life with curiosity, gratitude, and a sense of wonder. We are deeply grateful to everyone who joined us in remembering him and sharing the many ways he enriched their lives.

His contributions to science, his mentorship, and his warmth will remain an enduring part of the Smith-Kettlewell community.

08/10/2026

Although World Ophthalmologist Day has passed, we still want to celebrate the ophthalmologists whose care, research, and discoveries help protect sight and improve lives.

Ophthalmologist-researchers have shaped Smith-Kettlewell since its founding. Arthur Jampolsky, M.D., a renowned expert in strabismus and founded the Institute in 1963 to bring clinical and laboratory scientists together.

Alan Scott, M.D., another ophthalmologist, later pioneered the medical use of botulinum toxin at Smith-Kettlewell to treat strabismus. His groundbreaking work ultimately led to the medicine now known as Botox.

Today, our CEO, William Good, M.D., carries this tradition forward through his research on conditions that cause childhood blindness, including retinopathy of prematurity and cortical visual impairment.

We are proud of this remarkable legacy and the ophthalmologists who continue advancing eye care and vision research for future generations.

07/31/2026

Although Disability Pride Month has come to a close, we continue to celebrate the disability community and recognize disability as an important part of human experience.

At Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, accessibility and inclusion are central to our mission. Through our Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC), we collaborate with members of the disability community to develop assistive technologies and practical solutions that address real-world barriers for people who are blind or have low vision.

Learn more about the RERC and its work:
https://www.ski.org/center/rehabilitation-engineering-research-center/

Our commitment extends beyond Disability Pride Month. Throughout the year, we remain dedicated to research that expands accessibility, inclusion, and opportunity for people with disabilities.

The RERC at Smith-Kettlewell develops assistive technology and devices to address real-world challenges for blind, visually impaired, and deaf-blind consumers.

06/30/2026

🧠 As Brain Awareness Month winds down, we're excited to share one more example of how research at Smith-Kettlewell is advancing our understanding of the brain and vision.

Today we're highlighting the work of Dr. Stephen Heinen, whose research explores how the brain controls eye movements and how they relate to perception, attention, and cognition.

Using highly precise eye movement measurements, Dr. Heinen studies how both eyes work together to focus on the world around us. His research challenges a long-held scientific assumption about how the brain coordinates eye movements and has led to the development of a groundbreaking new model that could improve our understanding of eye misalignment disorders, which affect more than 100 million people worldwide.

By uncovering how the brain controls vision and movement, this research is helping advance the science behind both healthy brain function and neurological and visual disorders.

Learn more about Dr. Heinen's research: https://www.ski.org/lab/heinen-lab/

Action for Vision and Thought Our laboratory studies eye movements to understand basic neural circuitry that moves the eyes for clear vision, and as a tool to probe mental processes that are distinctly human. Our ultimate goal is to understand the substrate of neurological function and dysfunction,....