Mural unveiling celebrates ‘The Gift of Sight’









picture disc.

The mural was installed on Wednesday.

At 10 a.m. this morning, the Stanley M. Truhlsen Eye Institute and the UNMC Prevention of Global Blindness Division will unveil “The Gift of Sight,” a roughly 13-foot by 21-foot mural designed to recognize vision-saving efforts throughout the world, at the institute.

Featuring images donated from award-winning photojournalists and other organizations, the montage will be on display at the Truhlsen indefinitely.

See sidebar at right for list of contributors

“The ‘Gift of Sight’ was developed to showcase the gratitude the Prevention of Global Blindness Division and all of our international and domestic partners receive for the work we do,” said Jessica Feilmeier, development director for the institute. “Giving the gift of sight is humbling when the response is so overwhelming, and we merely tried to capture that in the images selected for this piece.”

“It is wonderful for the Truhlsen Eye Institute to celebrate The Gift of Sight as a testimony to one of our missions: to preserve and enhance vision for patients from every quarter of the world,” said Quan Dong Nguyen, M.D., inaugural director of the Institute and chair of the department of ophthalmology.

“Our faculty and residents have been working very hard to save eyesight for many grateful patients from every continent. It is to their efforts and devotion that we dedicate this beautiful and meaningful mural, enabling many colleagues to understand and appreciate our work in global blindness prevention and international ophthalmology.”

The mural may also provide a direct benefit for patients seeking the gift of sight, said Michael Feilmeier, M.D., international division medical director.

“We hope ‘The Gift of Sight’ shows Nebraskans the joy our work brings to those who receive it and perhaps inspires a few to consider giving the gift of sight this holiday season,” he said.












Giving the gift



A donation of $20 will cover the cost of one sight-restoring surgery in developing nations served by UNMC’s Global Blindness Prevention Division. Click here to make a donation.




“We are excited about the international development taking place at the Truhlsen Eye Institute and honored to be a part of it,” said Geoffrey Tabin, M.D., chairman of the Himalayan Cataract Project and international division director of the Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah. Dr. Tabin has participated in previous eyesight sparing efforts by the Prevention of Global Blindness Division.

The Prevention of Global Blindness Division seeks to be a leader among ophthalmic institutions working to eradicate preventable and curable blindness in the developing world, as well as serve as a catalyst for increased international exposure experiences for medical students, ophthalmology residents, fellows, graduate students, researchers and faculty.

Join the Prevention of Global Blindness Division and others for the unveiling at 10 a.m. today.