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WhY I gIve
Chuck Barsky donates on
behalf of his father
Although he was just a teen at the time,
Chuck Barsky vividly remembers his
father, Albert, struggling for years with
failing eyesight. A serious flare-up the
day after his brother’s wedding caused
Albert to lose most of his eyesight for
the second time within 10 years. A trip
to the local eye doctor in the Chicago
suburbs confirmed that his case
was extremely serious and required
advanced attention. Albert was referred
to the Department of Ophthalmology &
Visual Sciences at UIC.
“We consider ourselves fortunate
to have been close to UIC, one of the
leading eye institutes,” notes Chuck.
Albert met with Jacob Wilensky,
MD, Professor of Ophthalmology. Dr.
Wilensky diagnosed Albert with acute
glaucoma. After 25 years and more
than 20 surgeries, including cornea
transplants, Albert has regained some
of his sight. According to Chuck, he can
see roughly 25 percent out of one eye
and has pinpoint vision in the other.
“We give all the credit in the world to
the doctors at UIC,” says Chuck. “We
would never have dreamed that my
father could one day see well enough to
shoot baskets with his grandson.”
Today, Albert regularly sees Dr.
Wilensky and Joel Sugar, MD. Albert
typically returns to UIC for treatment
every three to six months.
One Vision 2012 17
Chuck is grateful to the
Department’s doctors for partially
recovering his father’s eyesight, and feels
that it is important to give back. “We
owe so much to them,” he notes.
Chuck earmarks his donation
(which is matched by his employer,
Discover Financial Services) for
the Jacob Wilensky, MD, Endowed
Glaucoma Research Fund, which is
used for glaucoma research and the
Department’s teaching program.
“We hope that our donation can help
someone else,” says Chuck.
To learn about ways to give, email
ophgift@uic.edu or call (312) 996-6591.
From left: Albert Barsky with his sons, Chuck and Scott