On Jun. 7, 2018, the Wold Foundation of Wyoming announced a gift of $2.5 million to help in Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) fight against macular degeneration, the leading cause of adult blindness in the United States.

Combined with $5 million that John S. Wold donated in 2015, the Wold Foundation’s gift built and supported the Wold Family Macular Degeneration Center. The center is part of a 60,000-square-foot building constructed next to the existing OHSU Casey Eye Institute facility. The new building, delayed by COVID-19, opened in October 2022.

The Wold Family Macular Degeneration Center will allow OHSU to expand its pioneering work in researching and developing new ways to treat and eventually cure macular degeneration. The center will create a collaborative space featuring today’s most advanced scientific technology and bring together OHSU macular degeneration physicians and researchers with expertise in the areas of genomics, as well as gene and stem cell therapy.