March 8 , 2021
Author: Stephanie Stewart Bailey, Museum Specialist, Truhlsen - Marmor Museum of the Eye®
Three years ago, the American Academy of Ophthalmology Foundation set off on an audacious goal to raise $12 million to build the first publicly accessible museum on the eye, vision and ophthalmic heritage in San Francisco. We are thrilled to announce that we have reached the finish line.
The fundraising campaign kicked off with two major donors — Stanley M. Truhlsen, MD, and Michael F. Marmor, MD — and established the new name: The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye®. Their benevolence set other gifts in motion. Additionally, 400 other donors generously gave nearly $5.5 million to the museum and its endowment to provide for its future. A third of our donors gave $1,000 or more; see the list of museum-supporters.
View the original Creating the Museum of the Eye video.
With the original 2020 opening date delayed by COVID-19, staff spent extra time on the final touches in the four galleries (The Amazing Eye, Power of the Retina, Discoveries, and Innovating for Sight). Visitors will see rotating selections from the 38,000-object collection—previously only viewable online or by appointment. Exhibits feature items such as antiquarian medical tomes, glasses made of whale baleen and Egyptian eye amulets as well as cutting-edge technology that allows visitors to take a virtual walking tour through the eye or visualize the effects of blinding eye diseases.
The Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye® is a celebration of science, innovation and the rich heritage of ophthalmology. Our supporters made a commitment to education and their community, believing in the dream of bringing the science of sight to the world. If you too would like to support the museum financially, we welcome your continued interest. Contribute today.
The Academy intends to open the Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye® to the public in 2021 as COVID-19 restrictions allow. Our highest priority is the health and safety of our staff and visitors. Check aao.org/museum for updates on our exact opening date.
Questions? Contact us at museum@aao.org.