Donors Give $31 Million to Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute

The Cleveland Clinic’s Cole Eye Institute has received a $31 million gift that it describes as “transformational.” The institute, which is ranked among the top eye care hospitals by US News & World Report, announced the donation Nov. 29.

Jeffrey and Patricia (Trisha) Cole, native Clevelanders who now live in Palm Beach, Florida, made the donation.

This funding primarily will go toward building an expansion to the existing Cole Eye Institute that will be named the Jeffrey and Patricia Cole Building, the institute said.

The facility performs more than 13 thousand surgeries each year.

The Coles are longtime supporters of the facility. Jeffrey Cole’s company, Cole National Corporation, in 1999 contributed the lead gift that established the Cole Eye Institute. Cole National was a large optical company with brands such Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Target Optical, and EyeMed Managed Vision Care. It was bought by Luxottica in 2004.