Cole Eye Institute Receives $10 Million Grant from Timken Foundation

Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute has received a $10 million grant from the Timken Foundation of Canton, Ohio, to support expansion plans that will nearly double the institute’s size.

The gift will establish the Louise Timken Ophthalmic Education Center, which will encompass all educational activities within the institute.

“We are very grateful to the Timken Foundation for its ongoing generosity to Cleveland Clinic,” says said Daniel F. Martin, MD, Cole Eye Institute Chairman and Barbara and A. Malachi Mixon III Institute Chair of Ophthalmology. “The future expansion will allow us to grow our clinical and surgical capabilities, while enhancing eye research and our educational programs, building upon the phenomenal success of the Louise Timken Microsurgical Educational Laboratory.

“Since establishment of the laboratory in 2013, the educational program at Cole Eye Institute has been transformed,” he adds.

The laboratory was named in honor of Louise Timken, a pioneer in aviation credited with being the first nonmilitary female pilot to own and fly a jet aircraft. Macular degeneration forced her to end her flying career in 1992.

Previous $1 million gift supports state-of-the-art education

The laboratory’s EYESI® Opthalmosurgical Simulator offers residents computer-controlled simulation technology to fine-tune skills and optimize clinical outcomes. The training lab houses four workstations with floor-mounted microscopes, instructor’s workstation, a Chaney SmartBoard for in-class demonstrations, and four phaco units for animal eye practice with microsurgical instruments.

“We applaud Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute’s commitment to advancing care and cures for the aging and genetic diseases of the eye,” says Ambassador W.R. Timken Jr. of the Timken Foundation. “Our foundation is committed to supporting high-impact projects and quality eye-care services, which are a necessity for America’s aging population. We are proud to provide this gift to start the architectural and design plans for expansion of Cole Eye Institute to serve its growing patient base.”

Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute has over 100 physicians and researchers who diagnose and treat the entire spectrum of eye conditions. Each year, caregivers manage more than 275,000 patient visits and perform more than 13,000 surgeries. The institute integrates clinical care, research and education in one 130,000-square-foot building, and is rated among the top 10 ophthalmology programs in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

The Timken Foundation gift will support Cleveland Clinic’s seven-year centennial campaign – the Power of Every One – the most ambitious philanthropic effort in Cleveland Clinic history, with a goal of $2 billion. The campaign has raised $1.1 billion to date.