Wills Eye History
History of Wills Eye
Pioneering Technology
Patient Care Services
Other Services
Wills Eye Surgical Network
Education
Research
Endowed Chairs
Community Outreach
Governance
Board of Directors of City Trusts
Wills Eye Policy
Wills Eye Officials
Accreditation and Approvals
Memberships
History of Wills Eye
The first Wills Eye Hospital, containing 70 beds, was located at the
southwest corner of 18th and Race Streets in Philadelphia, opposite what
is now Logan Circle. As a specialty institution from its inception, Wills
played a vital role in establishing ophthalmology as a separate branch
of medicine in this country.
By the early 1900s, Wills Eye had outgrown its quarters. In 1932 the Hospital
relocated to a new building at 16th and Spring Garden Streets. The new
Hospital expanded the inpatient bed capacity to 120, increased outpatient
service areas, and provided additional conference and teaching facilities.
In the 1960s, Wills Eye began to develop subspecialty services, in addition
to its General Ophthalmology Service (now the Cataract and Primary Eye
Care Service). Dealing with particular diseases or parts of the eye, these
services now number nine: Contact Lens, Cornea, Glaucoma, Neuro-Ophthalmology,
Oculoplastics, Oncology, Pathology, Pediatric Ophthalmology, and Retina.
In 1972, Wills Eye affiliated with Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson
University. As a result, Wills Eye now serves as Jefferson's Department of
Ophthalmology. All Jefferson medical students receive their basic eye
instruction and training at Wills Eye. With its continued growth, Wills Eye once
again needed larger quarters. Wills Eye moved to a new facility
at 9th and Walnut Streets in 1980. This new building won several design
awards, and was nearly twice as large as the previous building. It featured
greatly expanded outpatient services in keeping with the trend toward
outpatient care in ophthalmology.
Wills Eye constructed a new state-of-the-art, outpatient
facility. The new Wills Eye, located at 840 Walnut Street,
directly across the street from its current inpatient facility. It opened in June
2002 and is considered one of the most advanced eye centers in the world.
The eight-story building delivers a full range of eye care services in
a modern, comfortable setting. The new facility houses an ambulatory surgery
center, physician offices, clinics and a state-of-the-art center for ophthalmic
education and research.
Pioneering Technology
Many of the special instruments and techniques that are commonplace in
ophthalmology were invented or developed at Wills Eye. During its centuries-long
history, the Hospital's staff has pioneered the development of innovative
techniques in ophthalmology. The implantation of an artificial intraocular
lens to replace the cataract patient's own clouded lens was pioneered
in the United States in 1952 by Warren Reese, M.D., and Turgut Hamdi,
M.D., of the Hospital staff. Other revolutionary cataract surgery procedures
were developed by former Wills Eye resident Charles Kelman, M.D. A vitrectomy
machine, now widely used for eye microsurgery, was invented in 1972 by
Wills Eye physician Jay L. Federman, M.D.
Patient Care Services
For common eye problems to rare sight-threatening diseases, Wills Eye provides
general eye care and nine subspecialty services attracting patients from
throughout the Delaware Valley, across the country and around the world.
The sophistication of care delivered at Wills Eye can be evidenced by the
following descriptions of the activities performed by our specialty services:
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The Cataract and Primary Eye Care (CPEC) Service is the hub of Wills
Eye. Approximately 22,000 patients are seen each year. Wills
physicians perform routine eye exams and refer any serious complications
to the Hospital's subspecialty services. Each year thousands of patients
also undergo cataract surgery at Wills Eye, benefiting from the experience
of world-class surgeons consistently rated as America's best.
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The Contact Lens Service evaluates and fits patients of all ages
and medical conditions with the latest in cosmetic and therapeutic
contact lens technology. With its participation in major national
studies on advances in contact lenses, this service provides its patients
with the newest devices and the latest information available.
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The Cornea Service is a leading center for corneal transplants and
the treatment of corneal diseases and conditions. More than 400 corneal
transplants are performed at Wills Eye each year. In addition to corneal
transplants, physicians in the Cornea Service diagnose and treat corneal
dystrophies, abrasions, scars, and congenital corneal problems.
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The Glaucoma Service, the country's largest, treats patients with
the newest laser and surgical techniques and drug therapies available.
The Glaucoma Service Diagnostic Laboratory provides advanced computerized
techniques to uncover the earliest signs of glaucoma in suspected
patients, as well as charting the progression of the condition, including
the slightest change in the optic nerve, in patients who have already
been diagnosed.
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The physicians on the Neuro-Ophthalmology Service have a long history
of investigating and treating optic neuritis, thyroid-related eye
disease, ischemic optic neuropathy, blepharospasm, and hemifacial
spasm.
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The Oculoplastics Service is one of the largest of its kind in the
country. Oculoplastic surgery is a subspecialty of ophthalmology that
focuses on problems surrounding the eyeball (the lids, the orbit and
the lacrimal system) as well as artificial eyes. The Service also
includes a cosmetic surgery unit.
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The Oncology Service, one of the largest in the world, serves an
international patient population. Its physicians are leaders in the
diagnosis and treatment of ocular oncology, particularly melanoma
and retinoblastoma, and have developed new techniques to save eyes
that, in the past, it would have been necessary to remove.
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The Pathology Service is the backbone of teaching at Wills Eye. It conducts
ongoing research into the broad spectrum of ocular diseases. It features
state-of-the-art technology, and is a center of activity for Wills
residents and fellows, as well as for Jefferson medical students.
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The Pediatric Ophthalmology Service treats the unique ocular problems
of children including strabismus (crossed eyes) and amblyopia (lazy
eye). Physicians also perform cataract surgery on infants as early
as a few weeks old. A pediatric contact lens service at Wills Eye fits
and stocks lenses exclusively for children.
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The Retina Service was the first subspecialty service at Wills Eye. Today,
an average of 15,000 patients are diagnosed and treated here each
year. All vitreoretinal diseases are treated at Wills Eye, including macular
degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, and retinitis pigmentosa.
Other Services
Other ocular services at Wills Eye include: the Refractive Surgery
Unit, the Foerderer Center for the Study of Eye Movement Disorders in
Children, the Center for Sports Vision, the Low Vision Service, and a
24-hour Emergency Service open 365 days a year.
Wills Eye Surgical Network
Wills Eye has also branched into the community with a network
of same-day surgery centers throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
The centers offer care that reaches beyond ophthalmology to other surgical
specialties such as orthopedics, pediatrics, plastics, and ear, nose and
throat. Wills Eye also provides laser vision correction at its center in downtown
Philadelphia and centers throughout the tri-state region.
Education
Wills Eye built its outstanding reputation as a pioneer in ophthalmic education
by establishing the first ophthalmology residency program in the country
in 1839. Admission to the residency program is extremely competitive and
only eight physicians are selected every year from as many as 200 applicants.
Wills currently has 26 residents enrolled in the three-year program,
making it one of the largest ophthalmic training programs in the country.
In 1999, Wills Eye signed an agreement with Cooper Health System
of Camden, NJ, which allows Wills Eye to provide training in ophthalmology
to Cooper's residents. The agreement is important because it enhances
the Wills Eye world-renowned residency program by giving Wills Eye an additional
presence in Southern New Jersey and providing residents with a higher
volume of cases.
In addition to the residency program, Wills maintains fellowships
in more than 11 ophthalmic subspecialty areas. At the present time there
are 22 ophthalmologists enrolled in clinical fellowship programs.
The Wills Eye Society is a non-profit organization of more than
500 ophthalmologists who completed their residency at Wills. The
organization's purpose is to provide financial and professional support
for the educational aspects of the residency educational program and research
activities at Wills Eye.
Wills also has a long-standing academic and clinical relationship with
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Jefferson Medical College. Wills
serves as Jefferson's Department of Ophthalmology and Jefferson medical
students rotate through Wills Eye as part of their training.
Research
Research has a long and distinguished history at Wills Eye.
It is carried out in the laboratories of the Research Department
(which was first formally organized in 1952), in many of the Wills
subspecialty services, and in cooperative efforts involving both ophthalmologists
and laboratory scientists.
Macular degeneration, Stickler syndrome, glaucoma and ocular cancers
in children and adults are the primary areas of research taking place
at Wills Eye using the most advanced scientific equipment. Through molecular
genetics, gene identification and gene sequencing investigators are compiling
critical data for use in future treatments or cures of these blinding
diseases.
A major aspect of research is directed at improving the diagnosis of
diseases and conditions and at developing better methods of treatment.
Other studies are aimed at developing new treatments for infectious or
inflammatory eye disease, either of which, if not treated promptly and
effectively, can permanently diminish sight.
Endowed Chairs
The first endowed chair at Wills Eye was the Thomas David Duane
Professorship in Ophthalmology. It was named after the former Ophthalmologist-in-Chief
and was established in 1987 to fund ongoing research at the Hospital.
The Board of Directors of City Trusts, Wills' governing body,
authorized $4.5 million to establish and seed four new clinical research
chairs. The chairs were awarded to the Cornea Service, the Glaucoma Service,
Ocular Oncology and Ophthalmic Pathology.
The Pathology Chair is already fully funded, thanks to the generous support
of Sara L. Simmonds, wife of the late Noel T. Simmons, M.D., a Wills ex-resident.
As a result, the Pathology chair was named the Noel T. and Sara L. Simmonds
Professorship in Ophthalmic Pathology.
By a unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of City Trusts, the Glaucoma
chair was named for Louis J. Esposito, President of the Board of Directors of City Trusts
and a staunch, long-time supporter of Wills Eye.
Community Outreach
Wills Eye maintains a Free Public Eye Screening that has been held in the Wills Eye building
every spring since 1980 for members of the community. Adults and children over
the age of three are screened for various eye problems by members of the
Wills Eye medical staff who volunteer their time. The visual acuity of screening
participants is tested by Wills Eye ophthalmic technicians.
Governance
Wills is managed by a tripartite organization consisting of the
Board of Directors of City Trusts, the Wills Eye administration, and the
medical staff. Overall policy — including matters pertaining to selection,
direction, and accountability of management — is determined by the
Board of Directors of City Trusts. Establishment of institutional objectives
and decisions relating to the operations are the responsibility of
the Wills administration. Strategies and administrative concerns relating
to professional matters, the residency program, and research are under
the purview of the Ophthalmologist-in-Chief and Executive Council of the
medical staff.
Board of Directors of City Trusts
In his bequest, James Wills stipulated that Wills be administered
by the Mayor of Philadelphia or his representatives. In 1869, the Pennsylvania
legislature established the Board of Directors of City Trusts for the
purpose of administering such funds left in trust to the City.
The Board consists of twelve citizens of Philadelphia, appointed by
and accountable to the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia.
Members of the Board, who are named for life or during good behavior,
serve without compensation. The Mayor and the President of the Council
of the City of Philadelphia are ex-officio members. The Board is required
to report annually to the above Court, the legislature of the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania, and the Council of the City of Philadelphia on the condition
and status of the trusts, which it administers.
The Board's bylaws provide that matters relating to Wills Eye
shall be supervised by a standing committee of the Board, the Hospital
and Research Committee. In addition, another of the Board's standing committees,
the Joint Conference Committee, is responsible for the supervision of
all medical affairs related to the administration of Wills. The
CEO of Wills consults frequently with the Chair of the
Hospital Committee on all matters of Wills policy, organizational changes,
and major operational problems.
Wills Eye Policy
Since its founding, Wills Eye has been treating anyone needing
ophthalmic care without regard to creed, color, sex or financial status.
Therefore, when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed, Wills Eye was already
in compliance with the formal requirements that no person shall, on the
grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation
in, be denied benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination
in the provision of any care or service.
This nondiscriminatory policy of Wills Eye applies to patients, physicians
and employees as well. Under no circumstances will the application of
this policy result in the segregation or resegregation of buildings, wings,
floors or rooms for reasons of race, color, national origin or financial
status.
Wills Eye Officials
Joseph Bilson
Chief Executive Officer, Wills Eye
Julia A. Haller, MD
Ophthalmologist-in-Chief, Wills Eye
Accreditation and Approvals
- Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
- Pennsylvania Department of Health
- Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
- Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education of the American
Medical Association
- College of American Pathologists
Memberships
- American Association of Eye and Ear Hospitals
- Council of Specialty Surgical Facilities and Institutes
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