WVU Eye Institute clinician-scientist supports new building with $150K gift – My Buckhannon

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A clinical research leader at the WVU Eye Institute is advancing innovation in eye care for future generations with a $150,000 gift to benefit the new outpatient facility in Morgantown.
The gift from Tony Realini, M.D., M.P.H. supports the ongoing construction of the WVU Eye Institute’s new home at the intersection of Van Voorhis Road and Elmer Prince Drive. The $233.5 million, 150,000-square-foot facility is slated to open in fall 2027.
The fourth-floor research space, designed with input from Realini and his team, will be known as the Realini Clinical Research Center in recognition of his generosity.

“Dr. Tony Realini has helped shape the WVU Eye Institute through clinical excellence, research leadership, and mentorship,” Thomas Mauger, M.D., executive chair of the WVU Eye Institute, said. “His extraordinary gift to support our new facility is an investment in the future of discovery, education, and patient care across West Virginia and beyond.”
Born in Vermont, Realini grew up in North Carolina. He was first attracted to medicine by the TV show “Quincy, M.E.,” a medical drama rooted in pathology. But he quickly learned pathology wasn’t for him in medical school, where he was instead drawn to the eye during dissection.
“The structure and function of the eye is exquisite,” Realini said. “It’s so complex, yet so simple all at the same time. I was hooked.”
Realini earned his medical degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he also completed his residency in ophthalmology and developed an interest in glaucoma. He then completed a fellowship at the University of Louisville before joining WVU as a glaucoma specialist in 2003.
“I like to tell people I’m not from West Virginia, but I got here as soon as I could,” Realini said.
He was drawn to WVU because its ophthalmology program was rapidly growing, with a steady clinical base, skilled faculty and top-notch facilities. He’s remained in Morgantown for many of those same reasons, along with supportive leadership at the Eye Institute and within the WVU School of Medicine Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences.
As vice chair for clinical research, Realini leads a robust research program that offers patients in West Virginia and beyond early access to the newest drugs, surgical techniques and other treatments before they’re widely available.
WVU Eye Institute providers saw 9,889 visits from glaucoma patients in 2025, including 698 new patients.
Realini’s own glaucoma research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health for two decades. He is currently the lead investigator for a clinical trial focused on optimizing the use of laser surgery to effectively manage glaucoma without eye drops. The study spans 30 treatment centers nationwide with more than 500 patients participating.
“The professional opportunities I’ve had at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and the WVU Eye Institute have provided me an opportunity to make a difference in West Virginia, in the United States, and in the world,” Realini said. “The research that my team has done has changed how we take care of people with glaucoma. I think giving back to help that grow, especially after I’m gone, is a phenomenal opportunity.”
In addition to more research and education resources, the new WVU Eye Institute facility will include eight operating rooms, expanded diagnostic and testing space, increased clinical capacity and a multi-level parking garage, all designed to support growing subspecialty services and shorten wait times.
“We’re thrilled to be moving from our current facility into a state-of-the-art facility that’s three times larger and only a few hundred feet away,” Realini said. “The opportunities that building will provide us are exciting.”
Realini encourages anyone who’s had a positive experience with the WVU Eye Institute to consider a gift to support its mission, noting that every dollar makes a difference.
Visit Give.WVU.edu/WVUMedicine-EyeInstitute to make a gift online, or contact Director of Development Kristiana Nelsen-Knowles at knelsenknowles@wvuf.org to learn more about giving opportunities.
All gifts are made through the WVU Foundation, the nonprofit organization that receives and administers private donations on behalf of the University and its affiliated entities.
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