The Schepens Eye Research Institute

What The Schepens Eye Research Institute does

Massachusetts Eye and Ear (operating through The Schepens Eye Research Institute following their 2011 merger) is a Harvard Medical School-affiliated specialty hospital and research institute headquartered at 243 Charles Street, Boston, with additional operations at the Longwood ambulatory center at 800 Huntington Avenue and 20+ regional patient care sites spanning Greater Boston, Cape Cod, and Providence. It is a member of the Mass General Brigham integrated health care system. The institution delivers specialty medical and surgical care in ophthalmology (cornea, cataract, glaucoma, retina, neuro-ophthalmology, pediatric eye, oculoplastics, optometry) and otolaryngology (audiology, head and neck cancer, hearing and balance, sinus, sleep medicine, voice and swallowing, thyroid), and operates the only 24/7 specialty emergency department for eye and ENT in Massachusetts, the only designated Eye Trauma Center in the Commonwealth, and the only Hyperbaric Medicine Service east of Springfield open around the clock.

The merged entity combines a 200-year-old clinical hospital (founded 1824) with what is described as the world's largest community of vision and hearing researchers. Research output is supported by more than $70 million in research funding and an array of shared core facilities including the Animal Visual Assessment Core, Biobank, Bioinformatics and Statistics, Confocal Microscopy, Flow Cytometry, Functional Genomics/Zebrafish Facility, Gene Transfer Vector Core, Ocular Genomics Institute, and SERI Morphology Core. The institution also maintains the National Temporal Bone Database (more than 7,800 cases) and is the site of landmark achievements including the first cochlear implant in New England, the discovery of VEGF as a driver of ocular angiogenesis, and the first post-FDA-approval gene therapy procedure for an inherited disease (retinitis pigmentosa).

The business model is a non-profit specialty hospital operating under Mass General Brigham. Revenue is generated primarily through patient care services — 31,400 surgical cases, 352,000 outpatient visits, 29,000 emergency visits, and 1,100 inpatient discharges in fiscal year 2023, supported by 41 inpatient beds and 21 operating rooms. Complementary revenue streams include sponsored research grants, industry-sponsored clinical trials, and philanthropy (e.g., a $1 million Yawkey Foundation grant in September 2025 to renovate the Emergency Department). Patient acquisition is driven by physician referrals, emergency department visits, the Mass General Brigham Patient Gateway portal, and the institution's Harvard Medical School and Mass General Brigham affiliations; a sales-led, referral-based GTM motion dominates across ophthalmology and ENT service lines.

Name

The Schepens Eye Research Institute

Legal name

Massachusetts Eye and Ear

Website

https://masseyeandear.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1824

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Massachusetts Eye and Ear (with The Schepens Eye Research Institute) is a Harvard Medical School-affiliated specialty hospital and research center in Boston providing ophthalmology and otolaryngology care, running clinical trials, and operating 20+ patient sites across New England within the Mass General Brigham system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology Specialty Hospital

NAICS

Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals (622310)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmic Specialty Hospitals (HLAFAHAJ)

Keywords

• Ophthalmology specialty care
• Otolaryngology specialty care
• Vision research institute
• Eye and ear hospital
• Clinical ophthalmology trials

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Patient Care Services: Specialty medical and surgical care for patients with disorders of the eyes, ears, nose, throat, head and neck. Revenue generated from surgical procedures (31,400 cases), inpatient care (1,100 discharges), outpatient visits (352,000), and emergency room visits (29,000).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Schepens Eye Research Institute conducts vision and hearing research and delivers specialty ophthalmology and otolaryngology clinical care as part of Mass Eye and Ear. It operates research core facilities supporting investigators, provides digital patient tools such as Patient Gateway, and runs Harvard-affiliated graduate medical education and fellowship programs. Patient services span the full continuum from primary eye and ENT care to complex surgical and tertiary specialty treatment.

Product overview

Mass Eye and Ear, which merged with Schepens Eye Research Institute in 2011, is a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital that is the world's largest vision and hearing research center. The institution offers comprehensive healthcare services in ophthalmology (including cornea, cataract, glaucoma, retina, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, optometry) and otolaryngology (including audiology, head & neck cancer, hearing & balance, sinus, sleep medicine, voice, thyroid). It provides research core facilities, medical education programs (residencies and fellowships), and patient care through its network of more than 20 locations in Greater Boston. After uniting with Schepens Eye Research Institute in 2011, the combined entity supports investigators with over $70 million in total research funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mass Eye and Ear Specialty Hospital Services Inpatient and outpatient specialty hospital providing ophthalmology and otolaryngology care, including complex surgical and tertiary services, for patients across Greater Boston and beyond.
• Research Core Facilities

Quantifiable outcome

• First ever post-FDA approval gene therapy procedure for inherited disease on patient with retinitis pigmentosa
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mass General BrighamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMass Eye and Ear is a member of Mass General Brigham, an integrated health care system. The partnership enables coordinated patient care across multiple hospitals and specialty centers, shared resources, and collaborative research initiatives within the Harvard Medical School ecosystem.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stein Eye Institute (UCLA): UCLA's Stein Eye Institute is a top-tier academic ophthalmology center with comparable subspecialty structure, research portfolio, and patient volume to Mass Eye and Ear.
• Byers Eye Institute (Stanford): Stanford's Byers Eye Institute is a top academic ophthalmology program with strong research output, comparable subspecialty offerings, and similar competition for top national rankings.
• Kellogg Eye Center (University of Michigan): University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center is a top-ranked academic ophthalmology program with comparable research funding, residency programs, and clinical subspecialties.
• Cole Eye Institute (Cleveland Clinic): Cole Eye Institute operates as part of Cleveland Clinic's integrated specialty model and is a direct peer in subspecialty ophthalmology, research, and clinical trials.
• Wilmer Eye Institute (Johns Hopkins): Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins is one of the largest academic ophthalmology departments in the U.S., competing directly with Mass Eye and Ear for complex ophthalmology cases, research funding, and U.S. News rankings.
• Wills Eye Hospital: Wills Eye is the oldest specialty eye hospital in the U.S. and a direct peer, operating a similar model of dedicated ophthalmology specialty hospital with deep subspecialty services and academic affiliation.
• Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (University of Miami): Bascom Palmer is consistently ranked #1 nationally for Ophthalmology and is the closest direct peer to Mass Eye and Ear in terms of specialty hospital status, research intensity, and clinical subspecialty depth.
• Duke Eye Center: Duke Eye Center is a leading academic ophthalmology program with a similar mix of clinical care, research, and residency/fellowship training, competing with Mass Eye and Ear in national rankings and complex case referrals.
• Moran Eye Center (University of Utah): Moran Eye Center is a leading academic ophthalmology institute with deep research and subspecialty clinical programs, comparable to Mass Eye and Ear in scale and mission.

Broad incumbents

• Mass General Brigham: Mass General Brigham is the parent integrated health system of Mass Eye and Ear and serves as the broader incumbent ecosystem; it provides structural referral flow, shared infrastructure, and shared research assets that shape Mass Eye and Ear's operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdLhZBkF5w2VQyB7g9G8lCQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/MassEyeAndEar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mass-eye-and-ear
• Instagraminstagram.com/masseyeandear

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Schepens Eye Research Institute