The group of supporters had rallied together to begin an effort to promote and advocate for a separate vision institute at NIH. They overcame obstacles and their efforts were finally rewarded. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed legislation creating the National Eye Institute, to be a part of the National Institutes of Health. The National Eye Institute (NEI) was established on August 16, 1968. This meant that the NEI would be the country’s first civilian governmental body that focused on visual diseases and disorders in vision research.