Gift creates Karalis Johnson Retina Center at UW Medicine in Seattle

Donor is passionate about finding a cure for macular degeneration

Angie Karalis Johnson tours the new retina center in Seattle with Russ Van Gelder, director of the UW Medicine Eye Institute. COURTESY PHOTO, Randy Carnell/UW Medicine

Angie Karalis Johnson tours the new retina center in Seattle with Russ Van Gelder, director of the UW Medicine Eye Institute. COURTESY PHOTO, Randy Carnell/UW Medicine

Angie Karalis Johnson has a dream that a cure for the progressive eye disease known as age-related macular degeneration will one day happen because of research advances at UW Medicine. To help realize this dream, Karalis Johnson has made a significant donation to the UW Medicine Eye Institute to establish the new Karalis Johnson Retina Center.

The Karalis Johnson Retina Center opened Wednesday at UW Medicine’s South Lake Union campus, according to a UW Medicine news release. It will occupy 5,000-plus square feet as part of a new research and clinical building on the corner of Republican Street and Dexter Avenue in Seattle.

“The opening of the Karalis Johnson Retina Center will be a major resource for the region in terms of research and clinical care of retinal disease,” said Dr. Russell N. Van Gelder, chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and director of the UW Medicine Eye Institute.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“The Karalis Johnson Retina Center will help us reach more patients to provide new treatments, slow degenerative conditions and ultimately restore vision,” he said.

It will be the first facility focused on clinical research for retinal vision loss in the five-state region of Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Patients with retinal diseases will have the opportunity to participate in clinical research, giving them access to the latest clinical trials.

Currently, providers at the UW Medicine Eye Institute see 220 to 230 patients a day and perform 10 to 15 surgeries daily. The UW Medicine Department of Ophthalmology already is among the top ophthalmology departments nationwide. Research faculty work in areas few other ophthalmologists tackle, including stem cell research to recreate eye diseases in a dish, advanced optics to get more information at a cellular scale to help doctors diagnose diseases at much earlier stages, analysis of huge amounts of data to understand disease patterns, and studies to advance gene therapy for ocular diseases. They provide care for patients with conditions such as advanced macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, hereditary retinal degeneration and uveitis.

For Karalis Johnson, her gift follows her life’s dream to help people with vision disorders.

She is the widow of Dr. Roger H. Johnson, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and a well-known ophthalmologist who ran a practice that was the primary referral center for Seattle Children’s and for eye diseases in the Pacific Northwest. She was the office manager at her husband’s practice and was touched deeply by seeing patients, often older people with macular degeneration, whose quality of life was drastically reduced by their vision problems.

Her gift is for an undisclosed amount and will be used to purchase state-of-the-art equipment as well as support research in improving advanced imaging; using big data approaches to retinal disease; accelerating the therapeutic pipeline; and advancing vision restoration techniques.

“Angie is an incredibly generous person, with a great vision for a future free of blindness from retinal disease. Her gift is transformative,” said Van Gelder. “I anticipate many advances in the care of retinal disease will be made possible from her remarkable gift.”

In 1982, Dr. Roger Johnson and Angie Karalis Johnson endowed the Roger Johnson Lectureship at Seattle Children’s Hospital, which continues to bring top pediatric ophthalmologists to Seattle to lecture each year. In 2001, they also endowed the Roger H. Johnson Award for Macular Degeneration, a cash prize that is presented annually to the scientist who has made the most significant contribution to the understanding and treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

Macular-degeneration happens when the light-sensing cells in the eye stop working and eventually die. Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of visual impairment for people over 60. Approximately 2 million new cases are diagnosed annually.

Karalis Johnson said she will never give up her fight to find a cure for macular degeneration.

“Until it’s cured, I won’t rest,” she said.


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in Northwest

Courtesy Photo, Renton Police
Renton Police Department expands vehicle fleet

Council approves purchase of 18 vehicles for $1.1 million.

t
New catalytic converter law aimed at deterring theft in WA

The new law also creates specific and real penalties for people who don’t follow the rules.

t
Federal Way woman indicted for scamming elderly Korean community

She allegedly spent nearly $1 million at casinos.

t
Federal Way hotels for homeless to be fully open by fall 2025

The two King County properties will function quite differently.

t
Sound Transit Board officially hires Dow Constantine as CEO

Annual salary starts at $450,000 which chances each year for high pay hikes

Two people from the video shooting at someone they saw in a parked car. Courtesy photo.
Suspects fire multiple rounds at parked vehicle in Federal Way

See the video: The shooting occurred March 16 at an Arco gas station on Pacific Highway near Kent

John Wilson. COURTESY PHOTO
Wilson criticizes Sound Transit’s choice of Constantine as CEO

King County executive candidate says ‘too many insiders taking care of each other instead of the public’

Sumo Dog’s The Godzilla was the favorite of the day at the Menu Preview Day. Photo by Ben Ray/Sound Publishing
Hall of Fame-worthy ballpark eats at T-Mobile Park in 2025

The Mariners Menu Preview Day brought local cuisine and legendary baseball dedications to the 2025 season, with opening day on March 27.

t
Two charged for February Auburn murder

Zaire Orr, 18, allegedly tried to rob the 19-tear-old man and then shot him; teen, 15, also charged

Through the trees at the empty facility designed to become a behavioral health crisis center at 822 S. 333rd St., the yellow signs of the roundabout in front of the Federal Way Community Center can be seen (middle right of photo). Council members and community members expressed concern about the proximity of the facility to the community center. Photo by Keelin Everly-Lang / Sound Publishing
Federal Way City Council says no to opening crisis center

Concerns include the location of the proposed center and potential increased police response.

(Screenshot/Courtesy of King County)
Fingerprint ID levy to go before King County voters in April special election

The levy would authorize an additional property tax for seven years, beginning in 2026.

t
Gravel pit’s future in Auburn includes major development

Segale Properties has announced plans to close the mining operation in 2026 or 2027 and redevelop the land.