New Moran Eye Center Celebrates Grand Opening

Salt Lake City, Utah
August 3, 2006

More than 1,000 people gathered for the grand opening and ribbon cutting of the new John A. Moran Eye Center on a beautiful and mild August 3, 2006.

Bringing hope and cures to those with blinding eye conditions seemed to be the theme of all the speakers. Among the highlights of the event was the honoring of Sergeant Dan Gubler by Dr. Randy Olson. Gubler was serving with the Army National Guard 222nd in Iraq when a Howitzer booby trap went off two feet from him. He lost his left arm, vision in one eye and the other eye ruptured into three pieces. The field ophthalmologist in Iraq opted to try to piece his right eye back together.

Gubler then came to Moran Eye Center where Dr. Olson worked to restore his vision. In July, Dr. Olson removed scar tissue from Gubler's right eye and supplied him with an artificial lens. Gubler now sees 20/40 in his right eye, an achievement that Dr. Olson said ";left him breathless."; In this light Dr. Olson said that the new Moran Eye Center simply has to be about tomorrows, giving hope to those who think they have none because of visual disabilities.

University President Michael K. Young told several stories of Moran Eye Center patients who have regained their eyesight through the miracles of modern ophthalmology performed at the Moran Eye Center.

Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said that the new Moran building represents hope, and called hope "the most powerful and potent word."

John Moran, who has pledged $18 million toward the new center, said that more than 1 million Americans are blind and another 2.3 million are visually impaired. "We're here to try to help these people, Mr. Moran said. To me, the ultimate goal is to restore sight to those who are blind. A building is important, but most important is the people who occupy it. I want this facility to become a center of medical advances. I'm hoping we have breakthroughs that will slowly and ultimately . . . restore vision to people who are blind." "We are here because one million Americans are blind."

Other speakers at the grand opening included Steve Wynn, Chair of the Advisory Board and CEO of Wynn Resorts and Claudia Luttrell daughter of L.S. and Aline W. Skaggs, representing The ALSAM Foundation, the donors of $10 million toward the new Moran Eye Center. Two beautiful songs were sung by a member of Wayne Foster Entertainment. Mr. Foster &.. Afterward hundreds of people enjoyed tours of the building and refreshments.

Construction of the new Center began Spring 2004. The new $54 million, 210,000 square foot building is now fully occupied and had increased clinic and surgical space by approximately 40 percent as compared to the first Moran Eye Center. Research space has more than tripled and has brought all of the center's research groups together.

The John A. Moran Eye Center now manages 11 locations along the Wasatch Front. The center and its 11 satellite clinics host more than 100,000 patient visits annually. Almost 5,000 surgeries have been performed in the past year.

The Moran Eye Center is now home to more than 40 faculty members, including the top retinal research teams in the world. Moran researchers are involved in more than 25 active clinical trials. These studies provide more than 2,700 clinical visits each year. In 2004, the center received nearly $5.7 million from the National Institutes of Health to support vision research.

Education: The Moran Eye Center provides ophthalmology training to more than 150 medical students each year, and the program has expanded to include 3 interns, 7 residents and 3 fellows. In recent years, the Moran Eye Center's residency program has been ranked in the top 10 in the country.

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