Make a Gift

The mission of the Department of Ophthalmology is to provide the best quality care to all patients, to develop new treatments through research, and to train skilled, compassionate physicians. We have a robust research program aimed at understanding vision loss as well as developing new treatments for vision prevention and recovery.

Philanthropy plays a vital role in insuring the viability of academic medical centers, and specifically Columbia Ophthalmology. You are invited to join in the effort by investing in the present and the future sustainability of our mission. Your contribution will create a solid foundation for the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia and allow its doctors and scientists to treat patients, develop new treatments for eye diseases, and find ways to prevent vision loss. Through disease-focused research, our doctors hope to discover treatments for eye diseases that will benefit people around the globe.

Throughout the years, Columbia Ophthalmology has benefited from the generosity of its many good friends. Now the need for support is more critical than ever, as our ophthalmologists strive to apply the very latest in scientific advances to the treatment of eye disease. We have expanded our research programs to new areas such as molecular biology, cellular biology, gene therapy and stem cell research, and it is through philanthropy that the Department is able to maintain and advance these efforts to keep pace with the scientific community. Donor support is critical to activities such as recruitment of new faculty and initiation and implementation of pilot projects.

Gifts made to our department can be dedicated to support research programs, provide educational opportunities, or improve clinical care through acquisition of new technology and other purposes. It is possible to make a gift over a few years, over an extended period of time, or through estate planning. All gifts are tax-deductible to the extent provided by law. Your generous gift will play a vital role in helping us sustain our efforts and enable us to continue our important quest to improve the quality of life through better vision.

A program of planned giving is offered by the Office of Planned Giving in the CUIMC Development Office. The Giving Well program provides a range of choices for donors, physicians, alumni and friends who wish to make a gift to the Department of Ophthalmology. Our experts can guide donors through the steps for each type of planned gift, preparing proposals, suggesting bequest language, helping to create trusts, and even showing how a gift can benefit the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia while simultaneously providing the donor with tax savings and lifetime income.

The list of giving opportunities demonstrates the broad scope of gifts that have been so meaningful in continuing the department's reputation for distinction in the field of Ophthalmology.