About the Foundation

The idea of creating the Foundation arose after Dr. Gimbel opened his own surgery centre for cataract patients in 1980. At that time, the waiting list for cataract surgery at the hospital had grown to two years. Some patients were unwilling to wait that long and were having their surgery done in the United States, at a cost of $10,000 out of their pocket.

Dr. Gimbel was able to offer the procedure out-of-hospital, with patients paying a facility fee of only $1,200. Canadians started to take advantage of this opportunity. Many of his patients were so grateful for having their sight restored so easily and quickly that they would literally stuff extra money into his pockets.

"Give it to your favorite charity," they would say. "We hope the Centre never goes away and we hope you are teaching someone else to do what you do."

Dr. and Mrs. Gimbel began to explore ways these gifts could be used to benefit others—and the idea of a nonprofit foundation was born.

For further information, please contact:

Gimbel Eye Foundation
450, 4935 – 40 Avenue N.W.
Calgary, Alberta Canada T3A 2N1
Tel: (403) 202-3331 or Toll-free: 1-800-661-1138
Fax: (403) 286-2943
E-mail: GEF@gimbel.com

For all patient related inquiries, please click here.