The University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary
Encyclopedia
The University of Illinois Eye & Ear Infirmary houses the departments of ophthalmology
and otolaryngology
(head and neck surgery) of the University of Illinois College of Medicine
. Located in the heart of the Illinois Medical District
, the Infirmary is a leading center for research and treatment of disorders of the eye
, ear, nose, throat, and head/neck. The Department of Otolaryngology is the oldest department of its kind in the U.S.
Over the past three decades, the Infirmary has been a leading recipient of funding from the National Eye Institute
(NEI), part of the NIH
.
as the Chicago Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary, the department predates the UIC College of Medicine. The Infirmary took up just a single room in a frame building at 60 North Clark Street in Chicago, and the first patient arrived before the room was even ready. That initial year of operation, the Infirmary had 95 eye patient visits. Most of the patients had eye infections, with only one cataract case seen.
The private organization was registered as an infirmary “association,” with a slate of officers and 12 trustees. An influential group of physicians and philanthropists guided the association until the state of Illinois took over the Infirmary’s operations in 1871. The name then changed to the Illinois Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary. (“Charitable” later was removed from the name because paying patients also were accepted, and in 1874, the name became the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.)
The Infirmary was totally destroyed by the Chicago Fire of October 9, 1871. Temporary quarters were set up at 137 N. Morgan Street; in 1874 a new building was inaugurated at the corner of Peoria and west Adams street, at a cost of $42,693.59.
When the UIC College of Medicine’s predecessor, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago, opened in 1882, the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary (IEEI) began its long academic affiliation with the University. However, several government officials thwarted efforts for years to bring the Infirmary into the University Hospitals system. Finally in 1943, the IEEI and the University formally agreed to joint operations.
On October 19, 1965, new facilities for the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary were formally dedicated by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner
, the result of efforts by Ophthalmology department head Peter C. Kronfeld, MD and Otolaryngology department head Francis L. Lederer, MD.
Morton F. Goldberg, MD, head of ophthalmology from 1970 to 1989, increased full-time faculty from one to 25, added numerous ophthalmic subspecialty clinics and a postresidency fellowship program, and began a residency surgical rotation in Madurai
, India. During this period, the Lions of Illinois funded $5 million of the $6.8 million cost of building the Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute—the largest single donation ever given to the department. When the 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) institute opened in 1985, it was heralded as the most comprehensive eye research center in the Midwest.
, Marilyn T. Miller
, Maurice Rabb, Howard Schatz
, Mark O.M. Tso
The Otolaryngology Department, which offers services in six subspecialties - Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Speech and Voice Care, Sinus & Nasal Allergy, Oncology and Neurology, Cancer of the Head and Neck, and General Otolaryngology - treated nearly 17,000 patients in 2008, the most recent year for which statistics are available, making it one of the busiest programs in the country.
----
In 1985, The Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute (LIERI) opened at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary through a generous donation from the Lions Clubs of Illinois. The Institute is part of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and has research laboratories, offices, computer services, core facilities for machine shop, imaging, tissue culture and molecular biology researches, and one of the largest ophthalmology libraries in the country. Research efforts at LIERI are supported by both private and national grant-funding agencies and by the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. LIERI also houses patient care facilities in the Edwin and Lois Deicke Eye Center. Today, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois Eye Center stands as the most comprehensive eye research facility in the Midwest.
Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye. An ophthalmologist is a specialist in medical and surgical eye problems...
and otolaryngology
Otolaryngology
Otolaryngology or ENT is the branch of medicine and surgery that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ear, nose, throat, and head and neck disorders....
(head and neck surgery) of the University of Illinois College of Medicine
University of Illinois College of Medicine
The University of Illinois College of Medicine offers a four-year program leading to the MD degree at four different sites in Illinois: Chicago, Peoria, Rockford, and Urbana–Champaign....
. Located in the heart of the Illinois Medical District
Illinois Medical District
The Illinois Medical District is a special-use zoning district on the Near West Side of Chicago. It was designated as such by an act of the Illinois General Assembly in 1941. The District is bounded on the north by Congress Parkway, on the east by Ashland Avenue, on the west by Oakley Boulevard...
, the Infirmary is a leading center for research and treatment of disorders of the eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
, ear, nose, throat, and head/neck. The Department of Otolaryngology is the oldest department of its kind in the U.S.
Over the past three decades, the Infirmary has been a leading recipient of funding from the National Eye Institute
National Eye Institute
The National Eye Institute is one of the US National Institutes of Health that was established in 1968. The mission of NEI is to prolong and protect the vision of the American people. The NEI conducts and performs research into treating and preventing diseases affecting the eye or vision....
(NEI), part of the NIH
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
.
19th Century
Founded in May 1858 by a 30-year-old physician named Edward Lorenzo HolmesEdward Lorenzo Holmes
Edward L. Holmes was an American ophthalmologist who founded The University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.A native of Massachusetts, Holmes received instruction from the historian John Lathrop Motley, and learned German from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
as the Chicago Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary, the department predates the UIC College of Medicine. The Infirmary took up just a single room in a frame building at 60 North Clark Street in Chicago, and the first patient arrived before the room was even ready. That initial year of operation, the Infirmary had 95 eye patient visits. Most of the patients had eye infections, with only one cataract case seen.
The private organization was registered as an infirmary “association,” with a slate of officers and 12 trustees. An influential group of physicians and philanthropists guided the association until the state of Illinois took over the Infirmary’s operations in 1871. The name then changed to the Illinois Charitable Eye and Ear Infirmary. (“Charitable” later was removed from the name because paying patients also were accepted, and in 1874, the name became the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary.)
The Infirmary was totally destroyed by the Chicago Fire of October 9, 1871. Temporary quarters were set up at 137 N. Morgan Street; in 1874 a new building was inaugurated at the corner of Peoria and west Adams street, at a cost of $42,693.59.
When the UIC College of Medicine’s predecessor, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Chicago, opened in 1882, the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary (IEEI) began its long academic affiliation with the University. However, several government officials thwarted efforts for years to bring the Infirmary into the University Hospitals system. Finally in 1943, the IEEI and the University formally agreed to joint operations.
20th Century
In 1939, the IEEI began one of the nation’s first glaucoma specialty clinics. In 1965, the Infirmary moved to the University’s West Side Medical Campus, to its current location on Taylor Street. The University’s Research and Education (R&E) Hospitals still ran a separate ophthalmology service until 1970, when it was merged into the Infirmary’s ophthalmology department.On October 19, 1965, new facilities for the Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary were formally dedicated by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner
Otto Kerner
Otto Kerner is the name of two political figures from Illinois:*Otto Kerner, Sr. , Attorney General of Illinois & judge on U.S. Court of Appeals for Seventh Circuit...
, the result of efforts by Ophthalmology department head Peter C. Kronfeld, MD and Otolaryngology department head Francis L. Lederer, MD.
Morton F. Goldberg, MD, head of ophthalmology from 1970 to 1989, increased full-time faculty from one to 25, added numerous ophthalmic subspecialty clinics and a postresidency fellowship program, and began a residency surgical rotation in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, India. During this period, the Lions of Illinois funded $5 million of the $6.8 million cost of building the Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute—the largest single donation ever given to the department. When the 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) institute opened in 1985, it was heralded as the most comprehensive eye research center in the Midwest.
Alumni
Notable EEI alumni include Eugene R. FolkEugene R. Folk
Gene Folk was an American ophthalmologist who specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of strabismus. A charter member of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, he later served as President of this organization...
, Marilyn T. Miller
Marilyn T. Miller
Marilyn Miller is an American pediatric ophthalmologist specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital eye diseases and strabismus. She has held leadership positions in her field, often as the first female in those positions.- Training :...
, Maurice Rabb, Howard Schatz
Howard Schatz
Howard Schatz is an American ophthalmologist and photographer. After an academic career as a retina specialist, primarily in the San Francisco area, he turned his photography hobby into a successful second career. The photographs of Howard Schatz are exhibited in museums and photography...
, Mark O.M. Tso
Mark O.M. Tso
Mark O.M. Tso, MD, is an American and Chinese ophthalmologist who served as Professor and Founding Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Much of his early research concerned ocular pathologic findings in retinoblastoma and laser effects...
Current Activity
The Infirmary's 37 full-time and part-time doctors, as well as 18 ophthalmology residents, treat more than 55,000 patients and perform 2,100 eye operations each year. Currently the National Institutes of Health (NIH) ranks the department 11th nationally in ophthalmology research funding.The Otolaryngology Department, which offers services in six subspecialties - Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Speech and Voice Care, Sinus & Nasal Allergy, Oncology and Neurology, Cancer of the Head and Neck, and General Otolaryngology - treated nearly 17,000 patients in 2008, the most recent year for which statistics are available, making it one of the busiest programs in the country.
----
In 1985, The Lions of Illinois Eye Research Institute (LIERI) opened at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary through a generous donation from the Lions Clubs of Illinois. The Institute is part of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and has research laboratories, offices, computer services, core facilities for machine shop, imaging, tissue culture and molecular biology researches, and one of the largest ophthalmology libraries in the country. Research efforts at LIERI are supported by both private and national grant-funding agencies and by the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. LIERI also houses patient care facilities in the Edwin and Lois Deicke Eye Center. Today, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Illinois Eye Center stands as the most comprehensive eye research facility in the Midwest.
External links
- http://www.uic.edu/com/eye/" UIC Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- http://www.otol.uic.edu