Discoveries that will lead to treatments and cures for blinding eye diseases will be made possible in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute, the newest building on the Indiana University School of Medicine campus, that was dedicated Aug. 19 at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Campus Center.
The building is the capstone of the philanthropy of Eugene and Marilyn Glick, Indianapolis residents who donated $30 million to Indiana University to support vision research, eye care and education in the new institute. Their support provided $20 million for building construction and $10 million for a research endowment to help fund scientific work in the new laboratories.
Dr. D. Craig Brater, dean, IU School of Medicine, and vice president for university clinical affairs at IU, said, “In our early discussions with Eugene and Marilyn Glick about their creating the Glick Eye Institute, our frame of reference was to become one of the top 10 eye programs in the world. They have paved the way for that to occur.”
“Already seven gifted researchers have been hired and we will add even more ophthalmology scientists so we can advance the understanding and treatment of eye disease with an aim of ultimately preventing such diseases in the first place, “Dr. Brater said. “With the opportunities provided, we know discoveries will be realized, placing the Glick Eye Institute as a cornerstone in the advancement of ophthalmologic care.”
The building marries elements of light, air, color and perspective in creating spaces with a shared mission but different functions of patient care, teaching and research.
Mrs. Glick’s appreciation of art glass is incorporated in the design of the building, which features a sweeping glass wall on the south façade facing Michigan Street. The glass expresses the study of the eye through transparency and opacity and is a nod to Mrs. Glick’s admiration of glass artists and her interest in glass art. Glass used in the building is iron-free and ultra-clear, minus particles that typically tint clear glass and represents the clear vision that ophthalmologists hope to provide to all of their patients.
The four-story 77,000 square-foot building provides 14,000 square feet of clinic space. The Ophthalmology Clinic at Indiana University Health University Hospital outpatient center will be doubled in size when it moves to the Glick Eye Institute later this summer. Additionally, the eye institute also will have optometrists and a full service retail optical shop.
The Glick Eye Institute offers the Department of Ophthalmology the unique opportunity of locating its researchers near the clinicians and patients who benefit from their discoveries. The second and third floors house 15,000 square feet of research space, with connecting third floor labs to provide opportunities for discussion and collaboration.
